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Roma have become the first and only club in football history to have used every squad number from 1 to 99.
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Rodrigo Mora completed the remarkable sequence after taking the number 86 shirt following his move from FC Porto.
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The 19-year-old joined Roma in a deal worth around £21.4 million and is excited to play alongside Paulo Dybala.
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Roma’s unusual squad-number history includes legendary players such as Francesco Totti, Cafu, Gabriel Batistuta and Mohamed Salah.
August 20, (THEWILL) — Roma have made an extraordinary piece of football history following the arrival of Rodrigo Mora, with the teenage midfielder helping the Serie A giants complete a feat no other club has achieved.
Mora officially joined Roma from Portuguese side FC Porto this week in a transfer reportedly worth £21.4 million.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder was handed the number 86 shirt following his arrival at the Stadio Olimpico.
While the number may appear relatively insignificant compared with some of the iconic shirts in football, Mora’s choice has completed an extraordinary sequence in Roma’s history.
The Italian club have now become the first and only football club to have had players wear every squad number from 1 to 99.
Rodrigo Mora completes Roma’s 1-99 collection
Roma’s achievement has been built over decades, with players throughout the club’s history wearing an enormous variety of squad numbers.
Mora’s number 86 was the final piece missing from the sequence.
By taking the shirt, the Portuguese youngster became the player associated with the number that completed Roma’s collection of every number from 1 through 99.
It means the club can now identify at least one player who has worn every single number in that range during its history.
That makes the achievement particularly unusual in professional football, where clubs typically have a smaller group of traditional squad numbers.
Roma’s history, combined with Italy’s more flexible approach to squad numbers, has allowed the club to build the remarkable sequence.
Roma’s squad numbers feature football legends
The list of players who have contributed to the record includes some of the biggest names to represent the club.
Club icon Francesco Totti wore the famous number 10, while Daniele De Rossi was closely associated with number 16.
Cafu wore number two, Gabriel Batistuta wore 33, Mohamed Salah wore 11, and Alisson Becker wore 19 during their respective spells in Rome.
Other notable names to appear on the club’s historic squad-number list include Paulo Dybala, Edin Dzeko, Radja Nainggolan, Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and many more.
The sequence also includes less conventional numbers that have become possible because of the rules governing squad numbers in Serie A.
Roma have had players wear numbers well into the 70s, 80s and 90s, eventually leaving only number 86 to complete the set.
Mora has now taken that number and, in the process, secured his own unusual place in the club’s history before even making a competitive appearance.
Why Serie A helped make the record possible
The achievement is partly connected to the freedom Italian clubs have when selecting squad numbers.
Serie A teams are not restricted to the traditional lower-numbered shirts used by many clubs in other competitions.
That has allowed Roma players over the years to choose numbers such as 61, 70, 78, 87, 90, 96, 98 and 99.
Roma’s current squad includes goalkeeper Mile Svilar, who wears number 99, while Pierluigi Gollini has number 96 and Daniele Ghilardi wears 87.
Mora’s number 86 therefore sits naturally among a collection of unusual shirt numbers that have helped Roma achieve something unprecedented.
Mora excited to play alongside Dybala
Despite the unusual history surrounding his squad number, Mora’s main priority will be establishing himself as an important player for Roma.
The teenager arrives in Italy after developing at Porto and is regarded as an exciting attacking talent with the technical ability to operate in advanced positions.
He has also made no secret of his excitement about joining a club where he can play alongside players he admired while growing up.
One of those players is Argentine forward Paulo Dybala.
Mora revealed that he watched Dybala as a youngster and is now looking forward to sharing the pitch with him.
“I grew up watching Dybala, and now being able to play alongside him is so gratifying for me,” Mora said.
The youngster also identified his ability to escape opponents in difficult situations as one of his main strengths.
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A unique beginning to Mora’s Roma career
Mora’s arrival has therefore already given him a remarkable connection to Roma’s history.
Before scoring a goal, providing an assist or establishing himself in Serie A, he has helped the club achieve something no other team has managed.
The number 86 shirt may not have the same legendary status as Totti’s number 10, but it now represents the final piece of an extraordinary 1-to-99 sequence.
Roma can now claim a distinction that is both unusual and highly unlikely to be replicated anytime soon.
For Mora, however, the history surrounding his shirt number will eventually take a back seat to the challenge of performing on the pitch.
His £21.4 million transfer has brought expectations, and Roma will hope the young midfielder can develop into one of the club’s important attacking players in the years ahead.
But whatever happens during his career in Italy, Rodrigo Mora will always have a unique connection to one of Roma’s strangest and most remarkable records.
He wore number 86 — and that was enough to make Roma the first and only club in football history to complete the 1-to-99 squad-number set.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
