The incredible story of the England national team’s legacy cap Since the rules changed, it would be due to almost 1,300 players
On September 6, just moments after England's hard-fought 2-0 victory over Andorra in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match, head coach Thomas Tuchel presented a unique red cap to the latest debutant in the Three Lions jersey, Elliot Anderson. This is the so-called legacy cap, which corresponds to the legacy number assigned to every England national team player at the time of their debut. Every national team player has their own sequential number: the first on the list is goalkeeper Robert Barker, who made his debut in 1872 (the very first player in the history of the England national team). Harry Kane, the all-time top scorer, holds number 1207, while the last in the series, at least for now, is Elliot Anderson — unless another debutant makes his debut on the evening of September 9 against Serbia.
Legacy numbers were introduced by the Football Association only in 2019, on the occasion of the national team's 1,000th match, and they have also become part of a sort of digital archive maintained by the FA. The tradition of the cap, however, dates back to 2020, just before the European Championship: since then, every new debutant receives their own legacy cap. The first official presentation took place in June 2021, during a gathering at St George’s Park. A natural question arises: what about players who had already debuted before this rule was introduced? Since March 2025, the FA has established that former players — and, in the case they have passed away, their families — should also receive their legacy cap. An item that serves to encapsulate the collective memory of an entire country and its fans. Several families of past legends have already received the cap in memory, such as the relatives of Tommy Lawton or Duncan Edwards, the latter one of the victims of the 1958 Munich tragedy.
In 2022, on the 50th anniversary of the women's national team, the Lionesses also received their numbered caps: number 1 is Sue Buckett, the goalkeeper who played in 1972. Some players, like Jordan Henderson, said that receiving the legacy cap was even more emotional than lifting a trophy, because it represents a direct link to the national team’s history. Then there are those, like Harry Kane, who even chose to tattoo their legacy number on themselves.
Aesthetics and use of the legacy cap
But what are legacy caps made of? First of all, the material is velvet; the color has been red since they were reintroduced, and they are distinguished by a stiff visor displaying the legacy number of the player it belongs to. A white cord running around the entire hat divides it into six sections, effectively making it a six-panel, completed with a white tassel. The first legacy caps, dating back to the 19th century, were blue. Needless to say, the revival of this item has greatly increased its popularity, extending its use even beyond football. An example is the special legacy cap created by the company Toye, Kenning & Spencer for Dua Lipa's concert held at Wembley on June 21, 2025.
