Who wore number 77 in football?

As squads around the world are bigger, and as players move more frequently, such higher numbers are being used more and more. Here are the few players who’ve used the number.

David Okereke

David Chidozie Okereke is a Nigerian professional footballer who is known as a forward for Serie A club Venezia, on loan from Club Brugge.

Karol Linetty

Karol Linetty is a Polish professional footballer who is known as a midfielder for Serie A club Torino and the Poland national team.

Georgios Kyriakopoulos

Giorgos Kyriakopoulos is a Greek professional footballer who is known as a left-back for Serie A club Sassuolo and the Greece national team.

Adam Marusic

Adam Marušić is a Montenegrin professional footballer who is known as a right midfielder for Serie A club Lazio and the Montenegro national team.

Davide Zappacosta

Davide Zappacosta is an Italian professional footballer who is known as a right-back for Atalanta and the Italian national team.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an Armenian professional footballer who is known for playing for Serie A club Roma and captains the Armenia national team.

Mkhitaryan is characterized as winger. He won four Armenian Premier League titles with Pyunik, and joined Metalurh Donetsk in 2009; he moved to city rivals Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010 for €6.1 million. At Shakhtar, Mkhitaryan was named the league’s Footballer of the Year. After also winning three domestic doubles, he signed for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €27.5 million, making him one of the most expensive Armenian players of all time.

There, he won a DFL-Supercup in 2014, and in the following campaign, registered the most assists in the Bundesliga, with 15, the second most in Europe at the time. He then joined Manchester United for £30 million (€34.3 million), becoming the first Armenian to play in the Premier League. He won the FA Community Shield, and scored the winner to win the UEFA Europa League title. Mkhitaryan’s subsequent lukewarm form led him to sign for Arsenal in 2018, and then to Serie A club Roma on an initial loan. He signed permanently in 2020.

Mkhitaryan has been a member of the senior side in his native country since 2007. He is Armenia’s all-time top goalscorer, scoring 32 goals in 95 matches, as well as registering their first hat-trick. He has been named Armenian Footballer of the Year multiple times, being awarded the distinction every year since 2009 (with the exception of 2010 and 2018). Mkhitaryan was also voted the CIS Footballer of the Year in 2012 and 2013, making him the first Armenian footballer to be named the best player from post-Soviet countries.

Mkhitaryan is an attacking midfielder, who is also capable of playing as a second striker or as a winger. He excels playing in a central role, just behind the strikers, where he often looks to link up with his teammates in and around the penalty area. He is known for his ability to draw away opposing defenders and, in turn, create space for his teammates to exploit, leading to goal scoring opportunities, courtesy of his offensive movement, technique, and vision. Mkhitaryan has also been praised for his precise passing, dribbling ability, creativity, ball control and work rate, as well as his eye for the final pass; his skill and trickery on the ball enables him to beat defenders in one on one situations. Furthermore, he possesses an accurate shot.

During the 2012–13 season, former Scottish footballer Pat Nevin said of Mkhitaryan, “Eleven goals in eight league matches already is fantastic, but when you add that he is a midfielder, it is phenomenal. You may not have heard of him yet, even if all the scouts at the top European clubs have, but you soon will. He has pace, skill, a rocket of a shot and the ability to arrive in the box like Frank Lampard. This all singles him out as a player who must be watched or more importantly marked.”

Alessandro Plizzari

Alessandro Plizzari is an Italian footballer who is known as a goalkeeper for Serie A club AC Milan.

Marcelo Brozovic

Marcelo Brozović is a Croatian professional footballer who is known as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Croatia national team. He represented his nation at the 2014 and 2018 editions of FIFA World Cup, and also at UEFA Euro 2016 and 2020. Brozović is often recognised as one of the world’s best defensive midfielders.

Brozović’s style of play has been compared to that of Frank Lampard. He is noted for his passing, tackling, runs and stamina. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker or box-to-box midfielder, but is considered to be a versatile midfielder who can perform well anywhere in midfield.

Helton Leite

Helton Brant Aleixo Leite, known as Helton Leite, is a Brazilian professional footballer who is known as a goalkeeper for Portuguese club Benfica.

Luís Santos

Luís Miguel Castelo Santos is a Portuguese professional footballer who is known as a forward for Boavista.

Pablo

Pablo Felipe Pereira de Jesus, known simply as Pablo is a Portuguese football player. He plays for Famalicão. He also holds Brazilian citizenship.

Murilo de Souza

Murilo de Souza Costa, simply known as Murilo, is a Brazilian professional footballer who is known as a winger for Portuguese club Gil Vicente F.C..

Paulinho

Paulo Sérgio Mota, known as Paulinho, is a Portuguese professional footballer who is known for playing for Moreirense F.C. as a right back.

Nuno Santos

Nuno Miguel Gomes dos Santos is a Portuguese professional footballer who is known for playing for Sporting CP as a winger.

Aylton Boa Morte

Aylton Filipe Boa Morte is a Portuguese professional footballer who is known for playing for Portimonense S.C. as a winger.