This weekend at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, the #46 will be retired from the world of MotoGP™. This is to honour Valentino Rossi, who is a nine-time World Champion, MotoGP™ Legend and known the world over for some of the scarcely believable moments he produced on and off track across 26 seasons of Grand Prix racing. The honour is being bestowed upon the Italian at Mugello, and is set to see a huge turnout. Ahead of the momentous event, we’ve taken the liberty of looking across the sporting world to recognise other athletes whose numbers have become as famous as their wearer. 

The Portuguese and Manchester United superstar is renowned for his on field exploits and goal-scoring ability, as many consider him to be among the greatest players to have ever graced the game of football. Ronaldo has scored over 800 career goals, won six Ballon d’Ors, five Champions Leagues, league titles and cups from Spain, England and Italy, numerous more personal accolades and the 2016 European Championship. In that time, he has made the #7 his own at some of the world’s biggest football clubs, and developed his widely recognized CR7 brand from the number.

With six NBA Championship rings, Michael Jordan is a name known the world over thanks to his exploits with the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s. After initially retiring in 1993 after leading the Bulls to a three-peat of Championships, the #23 was retired in honour of him. However, in 1994, he made a shock return to the game, wearing the #45 before switching back to the number that he has become synonymous with and leading the Bulls to another three in a row.

Famously the 199th pick from the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady has gone on to become the most successful American Football player of all time. Possessing more Superbowl rings than anyone else, the Quarterback picked up six of them with the New England Patriots while adorning the famous #12 on his jersey, and one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

You know you have left a lasting impact on a sport when the organizing body decided to retire your number for good. That’s the honour the NHL bestowed upon Ice Hockey legend Wayne Gretsky in 1999. The Canadian won four Stanely Cups, the premier trophy in the sport, as well as multiple individual awards throughout an incredible career which has seen him lauded as the greatest player of all time.

Rugby Union is an exception in sport where a number doesn’t belong to a player, but rather a position. From 1 to 15, each number has a clearly defined role within the team, with #11 being that of a left-winger. There have been several world-class players to play in the position and wear the number, but few have ever come close to the dizzying heights of fame and popularity achieved by the late Jonah Lomu. At the advent of professionalism in Rugby Union in 1995, the World Cup was being held in South Africa, and New Zealand’s Lomu was thrust into superstardom as his barreling runs down the hand side of the pitch to score try after try captured the imagination of the onlooking public. Despite not winning Rugby’s ultimate prize, he is the joint record scorer at the World Cup while he won several club and provincial titles throughout a stellar career.

There must be something in the waters of Patagonia as Argentina has a habit of producing iconic number 10s who are revered globally, but two in particular are revered in the footballing world more than anyone else. The first is Diego Maradona, who went from debuting with the national side at the age of 16 to leading them to World Cup glory in 1986. A true legend of the game, Maradona had stints with the likes of Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli and left a legacy that lasts today at those clubs.

For years, anyone that wore the #10 jersey for Argentina was living in the shadow of Maradona, that was until the arrival of a certain Lionel Messi. Currently plying his trade with PSG in France (where he wears the #30 jersey), Messi is considered by many to be the greatest player to have ever played the game. His feats with Barcelona and Argentina saw him claim a record seven Ballon d’Ors, four Champions Leagues, one Copa America and multiple domestic titles and cups as well as a plethora of personal accolades.  

Two greats of the footballing world, who made the number 10 their own.

Choosing the #44 because it is his family’s lucky number, Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton has donned it on the front of his car since 2014. The British driver has managed to win seven world titles, a joint record with the legendary Michael Schumacher, while he holds a record number of wins, pole positions and podium finishes in the sport. Widely recognised as one of the greatest drivers of all time, Hamilton is another athlete who has become synonymous with his number.