Michael Parkhurst, Atlanta United’s first and only club captain, announced his retirement yesterday, and this morning, Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted a thought provoking statement:
My initial reaction was to scoff at the notion. And even after doing some cursory research, I still hold the opinion that player numbers should not be retired (especially in the context of the club having already retired one single number that is reserved for the fans).
However, it’s not unheard of in soccer, especially in certain countries like Italy, where it seems to be more common.