You can't be serious - numbers are treasures! Why do you think so many star players coming into new teams claim their favoured number? Even at school level, kids want
their number!
Try telling a player who has idolised a #10 and goes on to become a #10 that he can't have that number! Same for a Cruyff and the #14, which Henry held as a pride and joy; imagine that being taken off him. In turn, any kid playing for Arsenal who has the potential to be another Henry and is desperate for the number... it won't go down well for him to be denied it.
Then there's this:
Perhaps the most extreme example of the devotion to a number. An excerpt:
"
Zamorano and Ronaldo dovetailed brilliantly that season, but Roberto Baggio signed in the summer of ’98 and insisted on taking the Brazilian’s No.10 shirt, with Ronaldo duly handed Zamorano’s No.9.
Bam Bam had a rather unique solution to that problem. He had successfully fought for everything else he had wanted in life – it should have come as no surprise that he found a way to get what he wanted this time.
Well, sort of. He decided to take the No.18 shirt, adding a + sign between the two numbers. This was a man who knew what it meant and what it took to be a No.9."
In short, numbers are a huge deal in football for a lot of players. Perhaps that might change in the future with how extended the selections are in the squad game nowadays, but Martial being bent out of joint not only because of having the number taken off him, but also in how it was done, it would be a bee in the bonnet for any number of players from the best out there to semi pro's.
Ha!
"Alright, alright youse! Calm down, calm down! We can't be havin' da and daa in teh dressing room, soft lads! Are youse gonna make up or wa!?"