Emi Martinez's Rapid Number Change at Chelsea: From 26 to No.1

Emi Martinez has been at Chelsea for all of five minutes and he’s already changed shirts.

The Argentina international arrived from Aston Villa in a £7.5 million deal, walked into Stamford Bridge, asked for the No.26, and wore it with a flourish in a wild 4-3 debut win over Brighton. It was a nod to John Terry, a statement of intent, and a neat piece of club nostalgia rolled into one.

Now he’s upgraded.

From Terry’s 26 to the keeper’s crown

Robert Sanchez’s deadline-day loan move to Como quietly did more than thin out Chelsea’s goalkeeping department. It ripped the No.1 off the dressing-room wall and left it hanging there, vacant. Martinez didn’t hesitate.

Chelsea have confirmed that their new first-choice goalkeeper has switched from 26 to the traditional No.1 jersey, a rapid change that underlines his status as the man between the posts.

The club have also moved quickly for the supporters who rushed to buy into the Terry link. Any fan who purchased a “Martinez 26” shirt from the official megastore or website can bring it to Stamford Bridge, along with proof of purchase, by October 4. In return, the new goalkeeper will personally sign it. No vouchers, no quiet swap at the till – a signature from the man himself.

Terry’s blessing, then a twist

The number change lands just days after Martinez spoke openly about seeking Terry’s approval to wear 26 in the first place. He had worn the number on loan earlier in his career and liked the feel of it. At Stamford Bridge, it carried extra weight.

“John was someone I spoke to before I joined, and he said he was over the moon to have me here,” Martinez explained. “The morning I signed, I texted him and said, ‘I’m wearing your shirt, and I’m going to do it with pride’.”

Terry didn’t just give his blessing; he championed the signing. The former Chelsea captain called Martinez a potential signing of the summer, recalling their time together at Aston Villa and praising his presence, training standards and mentality. For Terry, the goalkeeper’s obsession with clean sheets mirrored his own defensive streak.

“He’s taking the 26 shirt, yes, we’ve given the green light,” Terry had said. “You know why? Because he loves keeping clean sheets as much as I did when I wore the 26 shirt.”

Now that shared number has lasted just long enough for one breathless league win.

A number with history, and one with expectation

Since Terry’s retirement, the No.26 at Chelsea has been a restless shirt. Kalidou Koulibaly wore it briefly. Levi Colwill tried it for a season before stepping into the No.6. Nobody has managed to turn it into a long-term second act.

Martinez has chosen a different route. By stepping into No.1, he moves away from Terry’s shadow and into the spotlight that has always belonged to the club’s undisputed goalkeeper. There is nowhere to hide in that shirt. Nor, by the looks of it, does he want to.

Arsenal on the horizon

The timing adds a sharp edge. Martinez is expected to wear No.1 for the first time when Chelsea travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal – the club where he once wore 26 in north London.

It is a neat twist: the old number tied to his past, the new one pinned to his present. With Sanchez out on loan and the Brighton thriller already hinting at the chaos Chelsea are trying to tame, Martinez goes into that game not as a nostalgic nod to Terry, but as the clear, unchallenged figurehead of this new Chelsea defence.

The shirt has changed. The expectations around him have not.