Karius to wear #1: Liverpool’s last six #1’s

NEWCASTLE, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 21: Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar looks on during a snow shower during a 3-0 win to Newcastle during the FA Premier league match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park on November 21, 1993 in Newcastle, England, (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Allsport/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 21: Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar looks on during a snow shower during a 3-0 win to Newcastle during the FA Premier league match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park on November 21, 1993 in Newcastle, England, (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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MAINZ, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 28: Loris Karius of 1. FSV Mainz 05 during the first bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Bayer Leverkusen at Coface Arena on February 28, 2016 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Scheuber/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MAINZ, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 28: Loris Karius of 1. FSV Mainz 05 during the first bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Bayer Leverkusen at Coface Arena on February 28, 2016 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Scheuber/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Loris Karius has grabbed the number one shirt for Liverpool. Here are the past six to wear the shirt in the Premier League era, none of which were the club’s last two starting keepers.

A more glamorous number than those brought to the club at the same time, Loris Karius is lucky that the standard no. 1 kit for the position was open. In a rather fortuitous situation for the German, neither of Liverpool’s last two starting keepers took that jersey.

Pepe Reina took #25 while Simon Mignolet is still occupying #22. Karius already has the numerical advantage to match his superior ability. Brad Jones last wore the kit. Yeesh.

Since the dawn of the Premier League when players were cemented into their numbers, a total of six keepers have worn the shirt. Unlike the anonymous #32 that Joel Matip is grabbing as well as the non-glamorous #19 Sadio Mane has opted for, there’s some history behind the number that Karius will find himself wearing.

Of the six, four have accrued appearances that’ve breached three digits. One of them has nearly as many as Steven Gerrard.

Thankfully for Karius, the last two (alleged) shot-stoppers were, putting it politely, not exactly convincing. It’s not as if he’s the first player to grab #8 after Gerrard or how Emre Can stepped straight into #23 when Jamie Carragher retired.

Players sorted from least appearances to most. As always, shouts to LFCHistory.net for the information.

Next: 6. Diego Cavalieri