Emi Martinez Upgrades to Chelsea's No.1 Shirt After Debut Win
Emi Martinez has been at Chelsea for five minutes and he’s already changed shirts.
The Argentina goalkeeper arrived from Aston Villa in a £7.5 million deal, walked straight into the team, pulled on No.26 at Stamford Bridge and helped Chelsea edge Brighton 4-3 in a wild debut. It looked like the start of a new cult-number story in west London.
Then the transfer window slammed shut, Robert Sanchez left for Como on deadline day, and the most traditional jersey of them all suddenly lay empty. The No.1 shirt. Martinez did not hesitate.
Chelsea have confirmed that their new goalkeeper has upgraded his squad number from 26 to 1, a swift switch that underlines his status as the club’s undisputed first choice. The move comes barely days after he had publicly embraced the idea of inheriting John Terry’s old 26.
The club have also moved quickly for supporters. Fans who already bought a ‘Martinez 26’ shirt from the official megastore or website are being offered a rare make-good: bring the jersey and proof of purchase to Stamford Bridge by 4 October and Martinez will personally sign it. No exchanges, no vouchers. A signature from the new No.1 instead.
That gesture softens what could have been an awkward pivot, especially after Martinez spoke so warmly about wearing Terry’s number. The 34-year-old had revealed that he reached out to the former captain before committing to 26, conscious of the history stitched into those digits.
“John was someone I spoke to before I joined, and he said he was over the moon to have me here,” Martinez said. “The morning I signed, I texted him and said, ‘I’m wearing your shirt, and I’m going to do it with pride’.”
Terry did far more than simply give his blessing. He championed the signing, calling Martinez a potential deal of the summer and placing him at the very top of his goalkeeping wish list.
“If I had the choice of any goalkeeper in the world, he would be right at the very top for me,” Terry said. “We signed him at Aston Villa from Arsenal and he was unbelievable. The confidence he shows, the way he trains, the influence he had on a group of players, the mindset is incredible.”
For Terry, the connection ran deeper than talent. It was about mentality, about that shared obsession with not being beaten.
“He’s taking the 26 shirt, yes, we’ve given the green light,” Terry said at the time. “You know why? Because he loves keeping clean sheets as much as I did when I wore the 26 shirt.”
The romance of that link has lasted all of a few weeks. Martinez now steps away from Terry’s shadow and into the most traditional role a goalkeeper can have: Chelsea’s No.1.
In truth, 26 has struggled to find a long-term heir since Terry retired. Kalidou Koulibaly wore it briefly during his short spell in London. Academy product Levi Colwill picked it up for a single season before switching to No.6, a more classic centre-back number. The shirt has floated, never fully claimed.
Martinez’s switch feels different. With Sanchez out on loan and no obvious rival, the Argentine has already imposed himself as Mauricio Pochettino’s main man between the posts. The number on his back now matches the hierarchy on the team sheet.
His first outing in the new shirt could hardly be more charged. Chelsea travel to the Emirates Stadium next, where Martinez once wore 26 for Arsenal and fought for recognition in north London. Now he returns as Chelsea’s No.1, leading a team desperate to turn a chaotic, thrilling win over Brighton into something more stable and convincing.
The digits may have changed. The expectations around him have not.
