Shaw joins illustrious list of iconic City No.9s | OneFootball

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw has officially become Manchester City’s latest No.9.

The Jamaican, who’d previously worn No.21 during her first four seasons at the Club, has opted to switch ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

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Already a certified Club legend after four years of record-breaking form in front of goal, Shaw’s now set to rub shoulders with a swathe of other City stars – past and present – who’ve achieved great things while donning her famous new number.

Squad numbers were officially introduced by the Premier League ahead of the 1993/94 campaign, meaning several City icons before then did wear the shirt on occasion, but the below list focuses on those who are most associated with that number during their time at the Blues.

Tommy Johnson

Making his City debut in 1920, Johnson was one of the Club’s first scoring phenomena.

Over the following decade, he’d notch 166 goals in 355 appearances before joining Everton and also holds the honour of scoring in our first-ever league match at Maine Road.

Until Erling Haaland’s debut season at City, Johnson also held a 94-year record for the most goals in a single season for the Club, with a total of 38 in 1928/29.

WATCH: Watch Bunny's key goals en route to City record

Don Revie

Most remembered for his time as Leeds United manager in the 1960s and 70s, Revie was also an intelligent and effective centre forward during his playing days, including a six-year stint at City.

Such was his importance to the side, he became the centrepiece for the ‘Revie Plan’ – a tactical system adopted by the club following Hungary’s defining 6-3 win over England in 1953.

With Revie effectively operating as what we’d now call a ‘false nine’, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1954/55 and helped the Club to our famous FA Cup final triumph of 1956.

Francis Lee

With 148 goals and six major honours across an eight-year period at City, Lee will forever be associated with one of the most successful eras in our history during the late 60s and early 70s.

Alongside teammates Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee, a statue of Lee sits outside the Etihad Stadium in tribute to his phenomenal achievements in blue.

WATCH: City Forever: Francis Lee

Neil Young

Often the centre forward during the Club’s remarkable success under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, Young’s 21 goals were pivotal in our 1967/68 First Division title triumph, with two of those strikes coming in the title-clinching 4-3 victory over Newcastle United.

His goal in the 1969 FA Cup final was also enough to beat Leicester and, the following year, his effort against Gornik Zabrze set City on our way to European Cup Winners’ Cup glory.

But it’d be a disservice to boil Young’s style, poise and wand of a left foot down to one particular moment, given he dazzled City and English football fans alike for well over a decade.

Joe Royle

Royle is fondly remembered at City as both a player in the 1970s and a manager at the turn of the millennium.

After joining the Club from Everton in 1974, he was part of the side who won the 1976 League Cup final against Newcastle – our last major honour before City’s FA Cup triumph in 2011.

Fast forward just over two decades and he’d take the helm at Maine Road to help turn around the Club’s fortunes at our lowest ebb, achieving successive promotions back to the top flight.

WATCH: Wembley 99: The Play-Off Final - Pure Theatre...

Niall Quinn

A fan favourite during his six years at City after joining in 1990, Republic of Ireland international Quinn notched 78 goals in 246 appearances at Maine Road.

A combative centre-forward with excellent aerial ability and link play, he also famously saved a penalty after being forced to go in goal against Derby County in 1991, having already found the net earlier on against the Rams in the same match!

The Niall Quinn’s Disco Pants chant is iconic enough in itself to earn Niall’s spot on this list, but his exploits on the pitch more than justify his inclusion.

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Paul Dickov

Scorer of one of the most important goals in our history to force extra time in the 1999 Division Two play-off final, Dickov wore the number nine shirt in the first of two spells at City.

During his time at the Club, he found the net 41 times in 200 appearances, representing us in three different divisions in the process.

A former Scotland international, he remains a hugely popular figure among fans and within the Club for his work rate, tenacity and, of course, *that* goal against Gillingham.

WATCH: Wembley 99: The Reunion

Paulo Wanchope

Without injuries, Costa Rica forward Wanchope would surely have finished his time at City with more than 75 appearances and 29 goals.

However, he remains a firm favourite among Blues fans who witnessed his pace, power and famous celebrations over four years from 2000-2004.

He scored a hat-trick on his home debut, 13 in just 18 appearances the following season, before helping City stave off relegation in his final year with four goals in our last three matches.

Toni Duggan

Named City’s number nine following the relaunch of our women’s team, Duggan scored our first-ever professional goals when netting a brace against Reading in an FA Cup tie in 2014.

She ended her first two seasons at the Club as our top scorer and would finish her time at City with 34 goals in 75 appearances before joining Barcelona in 2017.

Duggan won every available domestic honour while at the Joie Stadium, eventually calling time on her career in 2024 after returning to childhood club, Everton.

Gabriel Jesus

Becoming our number nine ahead of the 2019/20 season, Brazil international Jesus enjoyed five-and-a-half trophy laden years at City before moving to Arsenal.

He helped the Club win 11 major honours during that time, scoring 95 times and grabbing 46 assists in 236 appearances.

A hard-working and intelligent attacker, Jesus was trusted in a number of forward positions at the Etihad Stadium, even scoring four goals in a single match on two separate occasions against Watford and Burton Albion.

Chloe Kelly

Winning the Club’s Player of the Season and earning a spot in the WSL Team of the Year in her debut season at City, Kelly enjoyed five hugely successful years at the Joie Stadium before her summer move to Arsenal.

She recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in time to help City reach the 2022 FA Cup final and earn a spot in England’s Euro 2022-winning squad that summer, where she scored the winning goal in the final against Germany.

A dynamic and creative wide player, her 14 assists in all competitions was the most among the City squad, and she would end her time at the Club with 34 strikes in 113 appearances.

Erling Haaland

Like Shaw, the Norwegian is revered as one of world football’s deadliest centre-forwards, and for good reason.

Winning the Premier League Golden Boot in two of his three years at the Etihad so far, Haaland also broke the single-season goal record for both City and the Premier League in his debut campaign.

His current tally stands at an astonishing 124 goals in 146 appearances so far.

WATCH: Haaland's greatest City goals: 10 of the best

Bunny Shaw

The latest of City’s long list of iconic number nines, Shaw is our all-time leading scorer for the women’s team with 91 goals in just 106 matches.

She’s won the WSL Golden Boot in successive seasons and, just like Haaland, broke our single-season goal record with 31 goals in just 30 appearances in 2022/23.

The Jamaican’s legacy is already sealed at City, but she’s about to write an exciting new chapter in both hers and the Blues’ future as our new No.9.