The No. 7 kit at Tottenham Hotspur was vacant for a few weeks after the departure of Son Heung-Min to LAFC earlier this summer. That number had been Sonny’s for the past decade, since the 2015-16 season, and it’s a number that, for modern Spurs fans, is irrevocably tied to the tenure of one of Tottenham’s modern legends.
But it hasn’t stayed vacant very long, and it’s being given to Tottenham’s newest player – Xavi Simons.
I’d like to think that Xavi is the most worthy
person to take Sonny’s number and carry it forward into the future. He’s a huge talent, plays a similar position, and is a high profile name. I also think Sonny would agree with this assessment. Tottenham Hotspur doesn’t retire numbers; if they did, #26 would be long since retired thanks to Ledley King. And that 7 shirt has been worn by plenty of good players over the years, including Aaron Lennon, Paul Staltieri, Chris Waddle, Micky Hazard, Clive Allen, Ossie Ardiles AND Ricky Villa (though not at the same time), Glenn Hoddle, and Jimmy Greaves to name just a few.
But holy crap, it’s going to be weird watching No. 7 play for Tottenham Hotspur and see someone other than Son Heung-Min. It’ll take some getting used to for sure, but the hope is that Simons will understand the history and importance of the number he now wears and will use it for inspiration. I’m sure he does — 7 is the number he wears for the Netherlands national team.
In other news, you can soon be able to order your XAVI 7 kit from Tottenham Hotspur’s club shop. (It’s an option, but it’s currently greyed out, presumably so that the shop can stock up on the letter X.)
