In soccer, kit numbers are important to players. Some kit numbers are more popular than others; hence, those get the most hype. But the numbers do not make the players. It is the players who make the numbers popular. Soccer players with the number 19 have done the same for this jersey.
Mostly, soccer players with number 19 play midfield positions. They can be either attacking, defending, or playmaking midfielders.
We must know the players who wore number 19 and gave it the dignity it deserves. We shall look into these players:
- Club Career
- International Career
- Playing Status – Active vs. Retired
Keep reading and learn what made the following soccer players with number 19 exceptional in the stadium.
The Best Soccer Players With Number 19
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Charconia Medal (Gold Class) holder and former Trinidadian and Tobagonian professional soccer player. The Charconia Medal is the second-highest state decoration of Tobago and Trinidad.
Yorke represented his country on 74 occasions and scored 19 goals. He appeared twice in the World Cup and helped his country reach the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals. As a manager, he also coached Trinidad and Tobago’s soccer team through the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.
He also had a flourishing career in the Premier League as the highest non-European goal scorer until 2017, when Sergio Aguero overtook him. He has 123 goals.
In the entirety of his career, he played for Aston Villa for eight years, having graduated from the Aston Villa youth team, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC, and Sunderland.
He has been honored by a stadium named after him, the Dwight Yorke Stadium, in his country.
Santi Cazorla
Santiago Cazorla Gonzalez is a professional soccer player from Spain. He currently plays for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd. Carzola plays as an attacking midfielder, but he’s effective as a winger, central midfielder, and playmaker.
His speed, shooting accuracy, excellent close control, and ability to change the game’s rhythm make him an outstanding player.
He played for Real Oviedo as a youngster but started his professional career at Villarreal. After joining Villarreal, he had a short stint at Recreativo de Huelva, where he played a crucial role in the club, finishing in the top 10 in La Liga.
He then returned to Villarreal and became a crucial player in the La Liga team for five seasons. Finally, after half a decade at Villarreal, Malaga, a La Liga club, took him in, and here he continued to impress with his impeccable speed, accurate set pieces, and playmaking.
Malaga suffered some financial difficulties in the 2011-12 season and traded Carzola to the Premier League team, Arsenal.
In his first year at Arsenal, he was voted Arsenal Player of the Season, having registered 13 assists. He was instrumental in ending the nine-year trophy drought at Arsenal as they won the FA Cup.
He, however, suffered from injuries that saw him moved back to Villarreal in 2018 and later Al Sadd in 2020.
Carzola appeared 81 times for Spain and scored 15 goals, having played for Spain in the 2008 and 2014 UEFA Euro and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Nicolas Pépé
Nicolas Pepe is a professional soccer player born in France by parents from Ivory Coast. Pepe plays internationally for Ivory Coast, making his debut in 2016 and playing thrice in the Africa Cup of Nations.
His club career started with Poitiers, who play on the Championnat de France Amateur 2. At age 18, he signed for Angers and went on loan at Orleans. Lille took him in 2017, and he established himself there. In the 2018-19 season, he was named in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year.
Known for his skilled attack, Pepe is a right-winger capable of flanking the left-wing. His move into the striking position at Lille adds to the young player’s skill.
Arsenal, a Premier League club, took notice of Pepe and signed him for a club-record fee of £72 million, and in his first season with Arsenal, he won the FA Cup.
Despite his young career, Pepe has already won several awards, including:
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the month – twice
- Prix Marc-Vivien Foe
- Lille Player of the Season
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva is a former Brazilian soccer player. As a defensive midfielder, he is notably known for playing for Arsenal alongside Patrick Vieira and his national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Gilberto started his career at America Mineiro, where he graduated from the youth academy. He starred for America Mineiro and helped the club gain promotion into the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A.
After the milestone with his debut club, he moved to their city rivals, Atletico Mineiro. He transitioned from a center-back to a defensive midfielder and thrived in the role. As a result, he earned his first international capping for the 2002 FIFA World Cup as a defensive midfielder.
Brazil won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and Gilberto was instrumental in their win. He excelled and was scouted by Arsenal on the world stage, where he later moved to.
At Arsenal, he made up the mid-field duo with Patrick Vieira, and they were part of the ‘invincibles,’ the team that went an entire season unbeaten. He also won two FA Cups in his six-year stint.
But even before he left Arsenal, he left two records. He scored the first-ever goal in the Emirates stadium and the fastest goal ever, which was 21 seconds from kickoff.
Gilberto has been described as the ‘invisible wall’ because he is more passive than a typical defensive player, but he has managed to go for 45 games without a booking twice while at Arsenal.
After moving from Arsenal, he moved to Greece and played for Panathinaikos, and he won a domestic double with them. After that, he went back to Brazil and signed for Gremio before moving back to Atletico Mineiro, where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores and then retired.
Apart from representing Brazil in their win in 2002, he also appeared in their winning teams in the 2005 and 2009 Confederations Cup and the Copa America in 2007. He made 93 appearances for Brazil.
Rémi Garde
Remi Garde is a former French soccer player. After he retired from the field, he started his managerial career. His managerial career started as Lyon, then he moved to Aston Villa and later to Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer.
His playing career started at Lyon, where he played a crucial role in the club’s promotion to Ligue 1. He was captain of the team while playing as a defensive midfielder.
Later, Garde moved to Strasbourg and helped them reach a Coupe de France final over his three-year stint. He also helped them win the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup in the same period.
After the win, he moved to Arsenal and was signed in the same position as Patrick Vieira. He, therefore, played more like a cover player for Vieira. Plagued by a knee injury, Garde did not appear much in Arsenal’s assignments and retired from professional soccer in 1999.
Internationally, he was capped only six times and was a member of the Euro 92, where he did not play any games.
He won the Ligue 1 titles with Lyon in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons as a coach. Later in the 2011-12 season, he added to his title wins the Trophee des Champions and Coupe de France.
