We're taking a look at some of the best players to have worn a range of squad numbers for West Ham United, since they were introduced for the start of the 1993/94 campaign.
Vote for your favourite No22 from the four chosen nominees below!
All West Ham No22s since 1993/94 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
1993-1994 | 2003 | 2006-2009 | 2016-2019 |
1994-1996 | 2003 | 2009-2011 | 2019-2021 |
1997-2002 | 2004 | 2011-2012 | 2021-2024 |
2002 | 2004-2006 | 2012-2015 | 2024-present |
Colin Foster
DOB: 16.07.64 WHU: 1989-1994 Apps: 110 Goals: 6
When people think of the no-nonsense powerhouse Colin Foster, the memories of his spectacular mid-air volley against Everton in the 1990/91 FA Cup quarter-final immediately come flooding back, with it arguably being one of the best Boleyn nights under the lights ever.
With the Hammers in the old Division Two, the Toffees arrived at Upton Park as the clear favourites and expecting to progress. However, in front of a raucous crowd of 28,162 - the biggest of the season in the East End - Foster became the unlikely goal hero. Tim Breacker swung a ball in from right-back, and the tall centre-half was right on the penalty spot to strike a superb volley beyond Neville Southall.
Having started out with non-league outfit FC Elmstead, Foster made his league debut for Leyton Orient in January 1982. He moved to Nottingham Forest in May 1987 before becoming Lou Macari’s second and most expensive signing for a fee of £750,000 in 1989.
But, not surprisingly, it was under the guidance of one of West Ham’s true greats, Billy Bonds, where he thrived and was part of the squad which won promotion from the Football League Second Division in 1990/91, featuring 42 times in all competitions and scoring four of his six West Ham goals in that single season.
Foster and his team-mates were unable to stave off an immediate relegation, and after two seasons broken by regular injury, a loan to Notts County followed before he moved to Watford in March 1994.
Jussi Jääskeläinen
DOB: 19.04.75 WHU: 2012-2015 Apps: 61 Clean Sheets: 20
With promotion back to the promised land of the Premier League secured in 2011/12, Sam Allardyce and West Ham United were in need of a safe, experienced pair of hands.
Big Sam duly raided his former club Bolton Wanderers by poaching trusted goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen, who had become one of the biggest bargains in Premier League history by making more than 500 appearances for the Trotters, having joined from Finnish side Vaasan Palloseura in November 1997.
Tall and athletic, Jääskeläinen made an outstanding start to his time in east London, producing a consistent series of displays that saw him keep clean sheets against Aston Villa, Fulham and Norwich City in the first four Barclays Premier League games of the campaign.
Jääskeläinen was subsequently voted SBOBET Player of the Month for November and February and was also the Hammer of the Year runner-up to Winston Reid for the 2012/13 season - a campaign that saw the shot-stopper record eleven clean sheets in 40 appearances as West Ham finished tenth in the Premier League table.
The 58-time capped Finland international spent two more seasons in east London, making 21 appearances, before departing for Wigan Athletic in summer 2015.
Sébastien Haller
DOB: 22.06.94 WHU: 2019-2021 Apps: 54 Goals: 14
Sébastien Haller is by no means the first, nor the last, to fall short in the Premier League and yet still reach the pinnacle of the sport in another country, but it is hard to avoid the feeling that maybe, just maybe, Haller was the right player at the wrong time for the Hammers.
There were 14 goals in his spell in east London, plus two assists. His status as a 'traditional' No9 was based on his size and aerial ability, but more importantly, he knew where the back of the net was.
Haller became West Ham United’s then-record signing when he joined the Irons from German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in mid-July 2019.
He made his mark for the Club almost immediately, scoring his first two goals for West Ham to earn a 3-1 victory at Watford before notching again the following week in a 2-0 home win against Norwich City.
Thirty-five appearances in all competitions in his maiden campaign saw him end the season with seven goals, and after helping the Irons to the top half of the division by netting seven goals in 19 games in 2020/21, he moved to the Netherlands with Ajax, where he managed to score 47 goals in 66 games.
Currently a Borussia Dortmund player, he has just concluded a loan spell at Dutch side FC Utrecht, where he scored six goals in 18 appearances in the second half of 2024/25.
Saïd Benrahma
DOB: 10.08.95 WHU: 2020-2021 (loan), 2021-2024 Apps: 155 Goals: 24
Saïd Benrahma will always be remembered as the player who fired West Ham United ahead from the penalty spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina in June 2023.
The Algerian attacker initially joined the Hammers on a season-long loan deal from Brentford in October 2020, making the move permanent just three months later, and was part of the team during one of its most successful spells in our history, netting 24 goals in 155 appearances during a memorable four-year spell in Claret and Blue littered with unforgettable goals and iconic, history-making moments.
Benrahma endured a frustrating first season as a Hammer, scoring one goal in 33 appearances throughout 2020/21, as West Ham achieved just a second top-six Premier League finish in the Club’s 29 years in the competition - and a sixth top-six finish in 106 years since joining the Football League.
Although he took a while to settle into his new surroundings, he soon found his feet and netted 23 goals during his next two years at the Club, including goals against RSC Anderlecht and AZ Alkmaar on our way to European glory in Prague.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at French club Olympique Lyonnais, where he scored three times in 12 appearances before the Ligue 1 side exercised an option to make the move permanent in June 2024, and he spent the second half of 2024/25 on loan at Saudi Arabian outfit Neom SC.
