What number will Tchouaméni wear at Real Madrid?
The France midfielder, who was presented at the Bernabéu on Tuesday, has elected to take on the number 18 shirt previously worn by Gareth Bale.
Aurélien Tchouaméni was officially presented as a Real Madrid player at the Bernabéu on Tuesday after completing a deal worth €100m to join the European champions from Monaco. During his unveiling, the France international held up his new shirt, with his squad number for the upcoming season. There had been some speculation as to what his preference would be, as a defensive midfielder who grew up idolizing Zinedine Zidane, but the 22-year-old has elected to take on the number 18 worn by Gareth Bale.
Asked about his decision, Tchouaméni replied: “When I arrived, I asked about the number eight, but I saw that Toni Kroos had that one. I was told the number 18 was free so I took that one as it’s the closest to eight.” Tchouaméni wore the number eight at Monaco and also does so for France.
Marcelo’s 12 and Isco’s 22 also vacant
Tchouaméni could have chosen from quite a few numbers on his arrival in the Spanish capital. Marcelo’s number 12 is vacant after the club captain left the club 16 years after his arrival from Fluminense, and Isco’s number 22 is also up for grabs.
Previous owners of the number 18 at Real Madrid include Luka Jovic, Marcos Llorente, Mariano, Lucas Vázquez, Nacho, Raúl Albiol, Julien Faubert, Rubén de la Red, Javier Saviola, Antonio Cassano, Jonathan Woodgate, Aitor Karanka, Víctor Sánchez and Rafa Alkorta.
During Bale’s golden age at the Bernabéu, the Wales forward wore the number 11, as he does for Wales, but Marco Asensio took that shirt when he returned to Spurs on loan in 2020-21.