Tuesday's announcement that Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland has agreed a €60 million move to Manchester City this summer set pulses racing across the world. But it's no coincidence that the transfer of a No. 9 striker attracted such wild speculation across both mainstream and social media. A club's centre-forward often makes the difference in a game, certainly when it comes to finishing an attacking phase, but also in giving the defence a breather by winning and defending free kicks (among other things).
The No. 9 position has long since moved on from being just a shirt number and is now a general concept into which a broad range of players are thrown.