Jack Wilshere On His Career & Iconic Football Shirts

Football is on everyone’s mind right now, and the hunt for football memorabilia is as fierce as ever. We had the opportunity to chat to former Arsenal and England star, Jack Wilshere, about his career for club and country, kit collecting, and THAT Norwhich goal…

How did it feel when you got the number 10 shirt for Arsenal?

Yeah, that was a really special moment for me. I always feel like the debate is whether the best players wear number seven or the best players wear number 10. Without saying I was the best player, because I definitely wasn’t the best player at Arsenal at that time, to get it at my club where I grew up and had a dream of playing in the first team was a really special moment.

Did it come with any more pressure because it was such an important number? I remember when Emile Smith Rowe got it, people were saying, “Is he too young?”

I never felt that. I think it’s probably perspective, like you’re saying, and I’m sure if you ask Emile, he probably didn’t feel that because there’s always pressure. Certainly from my perspective, you always know the pressure is there, and there are two ways of dealing with it. Either you let it eat you up, or you accept that it’s there and always going to be there.It’s just how you use it. It creates something in you, and I used to try and refocus that as positive energy and focus on the first action of the game or whatever it was. Looking back on it now, there probably was a little bit more pressure, but I never felt it at the time.

Talking about football memorabilia, is there something from your career that you’re most proud of? I can see your England caps behind you.

From a personal perspective, it’s the caps that I’m most proud of. That’s why I have them on display. As I said, growing up David Beckham was my hero. He was the England captain, he wore number seven at the World Cup, and I got to go to a World Cup and wear number seven. I’ve got the caps to show for it, so that’s probably it from a personal perspective.

Anything from your club career?

Yes, I’ve got some really good ones. I’ve got Messi’s shirt from the 2011 Champions League game where we beat them. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it in the second leg, which was annoying, but I’ve got his.

When it comes to swapping shirts after a game, how does that go down? Obviously everyone wants Messi’s shirt…

That’s actually quite a funny story. I could have taken anyone’s shirt from that game. There were some incredible players in it — David Villa, Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta – but you couldn’t get everyone.

I wanted Messi’s shirt because, in my opinion, he is and was the best player in the world. I wanted Xavi’s as well, so after the game I got the courage to ask Xavi for his shirt. He kindly gave it to me.

I couldn’t ask Messi for his, so I got Cesc Fabregas, who obviously grew up with him and was close friends with him, to ask on my behalf. He batted me after the game for it, but thankfully he got it and I’ve got the shirt now.

On international football and national team shirts, you’ve mentioned Beckham was your hero. Other than England, what’s your favourite national team shirt? Is there a national kit you think is iconic?

I remember having my appendix out when I was about 11 or 12. I had surgery and was really scared going into it. My dad said, “Get it done and I’ll get you a Ronaldinho Brazil shirt.” I absolutely loved it.

Brazil is probably the most iconic one. Then you’ve got Zidane’s France shirt, Fernando Torres’ Spain shirt. The first World Cup I really remember was 1998, so Beckham was a big part of that. He got sent off. An R9 shirt would be nice. A Rivaldo number 10 shirt. There are so many, and the ones you think of wanting are usually a number seven or a number 10.

What’s the best football-related gift you’ve ever been given by a loved one or a fan?

Probably boots. Even now, my wife bought me a pair for Christmas last year. I feel like when you step into coaching, there’s only a certain style and colour of boot you can wear. Now when I’m coaching, I wear Adidas Predators, the classic ones. I’d probably say those.

Even now I’ll look online at old boots and still get that same feeling. It takes you back to that era of football. So probably the Adidas Predators because of my love for Beckham growing up.

Were you quite superstitious with boots when you were playing? Like scoring in certain pairs or doing well in certain pairs?

Not really with boots, but I was with shin pads. I had the same pair of shin pads my whole career. The whole way through. I couldn’t change them. I’d always think, “I need to change these,” or I’d have a bad game and think, “Right, now’s the time to change them.” But by the next game I couldn’t do it.

I was signed with Nike when I was really young and they gave me some shin pads. I must have been 17 when they gave them to me. They never left me. They let me down at times with injuries, but they still stayed.

What’s the main difference you’ve seen between when you started and the teenagers coming through now?

The whole world has changed. The whole football world has changed. The way players communicate through social media and how accessible they are to fans now is completely different. There’s no getting away from it. You mentioned pressure earlier. There’s probably more now because players go in after a game, pick up their phone, and there are opinions from all different types of people, good and bad. Human nature is to hold onto the bad ones.

The physical demands have changed as well. When I came through, it wasn’t as simple as putting your boots on and playing football, but there wasn’t the sports science, the data, or the knowledge around performance and what it takes. The game has definitely got faster, and I think that will continue. I was looking at data from 10 years ago around physical output and there are about 10 times more sprints in a game now. With that, you have to handle the ball even better because the game is faster. Technically, you have to be better.

I need to ask about the Norwich goal. When it was happening, did you realise how beautiful a goal you were scoring and how often it would be replayed? When did you realise it was something special?

People ask me about that all the time, and I’m not joking: probably twice a week Arsène would set up loads of mannequins in front of the box. You’d go in groups of three and have one touch each. You had to combine through the mannequins and find a way through. That’s how we wanted to play.

At the time, no, I didn’t realise it. I remember walking off at half-time and Nathan Redmond, who was on the bench for Norwich at the time, came up to me and said, “That could be one of the best goals I’ve ever seen.”

It probably wasn’t until that point that I thought, “Okay, it was a good goal.” And it was with my right foot, which I don’t normally use.

Jack knows all about football memorabilia, and on the 28th of June from 2:30–4:00p.m BST, he will be taking part in “Showdown: 7s v 10s.”

This live event will see two of football’s most iconic shirt numbers go head-to-head, connecting enthusiasts to the moments, players, and debates shaping the World Cup in real time. Throughout the stream, viewers can bid on signed shirts, curated trading cards, and memorabilia tied to the greatest players to ever wear each number and make their case for No. 7 or No. 10. A second livestream for the US market will take place from 5:00–6:30 p.m. BST.

Powered by trusted seller Icons Signed Sports Memorabilia, the event will also feature a live scoreboard tracking which side generates the most engagement, alongside exclusive programming and access to one of the largest selections of football inventory available on eBay Live. 

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