Fiorentina players select squad numbers

This is one of my favorite parts of the year. Fiorentina have released the shirt numbers for the upcoming season, and we have some doozies. Let’s give it a look, shall we?

4. Nikola Milenković—This is a good and appropriate number for a centerback. It was last worn by Sebastian de Maio, so this seems like a nice step up for one of the numbers that I wear sometimes.

5. Milan Badelj—Same as it ever was, although this one could be open again shortly if the rumors about his impending exit to AC Milan are true.

6. Carlos Sánchez—One of the many reasons I like this dude, besides his strength and excellent nickname and hair and slight resemblance to a young Seu Jorge—is that he took a squad number that fit him last year. Glad he’s smart enough not to mess with it.

7. Rafik Zekhnini—Another young player making good choices. This is the correct number for a winger. It’s nice that the kids seem so sensible.

8. Riccardo Saponara—This one’s a bit surprising, but he did wear this number while he was at Milan, although he opted for 5 and 10 during his Empoli years. I’d thought he was pretty happy with the 21 he had last season, but guess not.

9. Nikola Kalinić—Again, this one is likely to be available if/when the Slender Man leaves, although it could fit nicely on a certain Genoa striker.

10. Valentin Eysseric—It’s a sight nicer than the 13 he wore at Nice. While he’s certainly no Federico Bernardeschi, he’s not a disgrace to the holiest of numbers like Rubén Olivera or Santiago Silva. I’ll allow it.

11. Ianis Hagi—Perfect fit, and yet another reason to expect big things from him.

13. Davide Astori—Yep yep yep.

14. Matías Fernández—He’s always loved this number. Maybe he’s a big Johann Cruyff fan. I really like that he’s opted to put “Mati” on the back. Simple yet elegant.

15. Maxi Olivera—Same as last year.

17. Jordan Veretout—Last seen on Kevin Diks, this is perfectly okay.

19. Sebastian Cristoforo—This is my favorite number to wear when I play, so it’s a bit frustrating that it goes to such a frustrating player. Oh well.

20. Jaime Báez—Not quite the heir to the sacred Borja Valero shirt we were hoping for.

21. Riccardo Sottil—I doubt we’ll actually see this shirt on the pitch very often, but good on him for getting an official senior squad number.

22. Michele Cerofolini—See above.

25. Enrico Chiesa—I guess this is his number, since nobody would have stopped him from grabbing 7, 10, or 11. I think we can probably permit him this minor eccentricity.

26. Luca Ranieri—A popular number for players who rarely feature. Joshua Pérez, Panagiotis Kone, Daniel Agyei, and Alex Costa have all worn it in recent years.

27. Andrés Schetino—Can someone explain to me why so many players seem to like 27? Seems like a pretty anonymous jersey to me, which fits Schetino, I suppose.

30. Khouma Babacar—I don’t know why these are his digits of choice, but they are. In yet another reminder that he is the coolest dude around, the back of his jersey will say “El Khouma.” Dude. Duuuuude. I freaking love Babacar.

31. Vitor Hugo—With numbers 2 and 3 available, he went for 31? Maybe he’s trying to create a palindromic centerback pairing with Astori.

32. Gabriele Gori—He’s actually not a terrible successor to Bobo Vieri’s old number. Or will be if his development pans out as we hope it might.

40. Nenad Tomović—It almost seems endearing at this point.

51. Hristo Petkov—He’ll wear a real number with the Primavera, but c’mon, young man. 2 and 3 were right there.

57. Marco Sportiello—I know that he said in an interview that this number has major significance for him, so I don’t want to badmouth it, but number one is right there. This is upsetting me more than I want to admit.

73. Marco Meli—wut

76. Bruno Gaspar—He’s always worn this number. I’m not sure we can trust him, guys.

93. Ante Rebić—I guess he’s worried that he’ll forget what year he was born in.

97. Bartłomiej Drągowski—Honestly, this is a step up, seeing as how he’s worn 69 earlier in his career.

So there you go. Nobody’s stepping up for 1, 2, or 3, but most of the other usual suspects are filled. You’ll also notice that Marco Benassi isn’t on this list, so we’ll have to keep an eye out for him. He wore 15 last year at Torino, and has previously worn 94 and 24. We’ll update this post once more information becomes available.