Jerseys reimbursed by clubs or players

Team kits are not just simple jerseys; they are symbols of passion and pride for both supporters and the players themselves who wear them. But in addition to the social colors, fans also identify with a specific player on their team by purchasing customized jerseys with that player's name and number, sporting them with great pride. It happens, however, that these uniforms become the subject of controversy and fans find themselves with a kit in their hands that, within a few days, no longer reflects reality. This is the case with players who change teams in the course of the football market, but also when the players themselves decide to change the number from the previous season. In these cases, it is the clubs or the players themselves who run for cover by coming to the rescue of the buyers and reimbursing them out of their own pockets.

Nunez, Diaz and Coutinho: cases at Liverpool

At Liverpool, this practice has occurred on more than one occasion, and the latest one concerns Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan striker, who arrived in the summer of 2022, in fact wore the number 27 shirt in his first season at Anfield Road, except to change in this new year. With the farewell of Roberto Firmino, who arrived at the expiration of his contract with the Reds and moved to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the former Benfica man decided to reserve the number 9, worn when he played in Lisbon. And in order not to leave disgruntled Liverpool fans who had already purchased his 2023-2024 edition jersey with the number 27, Nunez thus decided to refund out of his own pocket all those who had already purchased his jerseys.

Not only Darwin Nunez, also this summer Luis Diaz in turn took advantage of the farewell of James Milner, who flew to Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton, to change his jersey number from 23 to 7. The Colombian, as well as Darwin Nunez, repaid out of his own pocket those who had trusted him. In January 2018, however, Philippe Coutinho left Liverpool to move to Barcelona, leaving a huge void in the hearts of English fans. There was a lot of controversy at the time, and to try to appease at least some of the tempers, the club decided to reimburse those who had bought the Brazilian's number 10 jersey from the 2017-2018 season with a £50 voucher (about 60 euros) so they could buy another one.

Cavani and the 7 of Cristiano Ronaldo

During the 2021 summer soccer market, Serie A said goodbye to the bright star of Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Juventus to return to Manchester United. At Old Trafford, however, there was a problem: the iconic number 7 was on Edinson Cavani's shoulders. In order not to create misunderstandings, the Matador decided to take the 21 left vacant by Daniel James, who in turn moved to Leeds, and to meet the needs of fans who had already purchased the Uruguayan bomber's uniform, the Red Devils decided to change the jersey to all those who would show proof of purchase in stores.

Morata and the number change for his children

A change dictated by completely opposite reasons, however, is that of Alvaro Morata at Chelsea. On July 29, 2018, in fact, the Spanish striker became a father of twins, and this event led him to choose a new jersey number. As a dedication to his children, the former Juve man then decided to wear 29 on his shoulders, replacing it with the initial number 9. "It is a day I will never forget. I feel sorry for the fans who may have already bought the number 9 with my name, but I hope they understand my choice and that it will not be a problem to take the one with the 29," Morata had said. The Blues decided to replace Morata's jersey to those who had already bought it, donating all returned shirts to the Chelsea Foundation.

Aston Villa and the "traitor" Grealish

The summer of 2021 was very tumultuous at Aston Villa, when the Villans decided to sell their star player Jack Grealish to Manchester City for 120 million euros. Claret&blue fans considered Grealish a flag and felt betrayed by his departure. And to try to curb the discontent of his supporters, the Birmingham club decided to change Grealish's number 10 jersey to one with the name and number of any other player in the squad.

Bonucci and Cassano cases 

A similar case had occurred in the summer of 2017 in Serie A, when Leonardo Bonucci moved from Juventus to AC Milan, taking most of the Bianconeri fans by surprise. The move to the Rossoneri was a bolt out of the blue, as well as a mockery for all those who had opened their wallets to take home the uniform with the defender's name and number. At that point Codacons decided to intervene, with the Consumers' Association asking Juventus to refund those who had bought Bonucci's jersey. Appeal, however, which was not taken up by the Bianconeri. 

In the same summer, Antonio Cassano moved to Verona, but his adventure with the Scaligeri lasted only a few weeks, except for the later reconsideration of the player who had also already shown himself in his new 99 jersey. Enthusiasm was rife among Hellas fans, with fans competing to buy Fant'Antonio's shirt. Then came the hoax, with Verona having to run for cover by offering a refund to supporters who had bought the talented Bari Vecchia man's uniform.