Striker Joseph Esso will wear the fabled No. 11 shirt at Accra Hearts of Oak, the club has officially confirmed.

The former African Champions announced the jersey numbers of their 26-man squad for the 2017/18 Ghana Premier League.

The jersey became vacant following the exit of striker Sam Yeboah, who wore it for the past two seasons.

The No. 11 shirt has a historic and legendary lineage at the club, with Mohammed Polo, Ablade Kumah, and Bernard Dong Bortey all previous owners.

The club's establishment on November 11, 1911, has made it synonymous with the number 11, around which its 106-year-old history revolves.

The confirmation of the Jersey numbers means Esso, who joined the Phobians from Abusua Dwarfs, will be clad in honour, amid  huge expectations from fans.

Mohammed Polo, who is regarded by some pundits  as one of the greatest dribblers ever to live on earth, made strides with the famous "fearsome five" in the 1970s and was part of Ghana's 1978 African Cup-winning squad.

He came in 4th in the voting for the 1977 African Player of the Year award, after the Phobians lost in the finals to Hafia FC of Guinea.

Samuel Ablade Kumah, who played alongside another club legend, Benjamin Shamo Quaye, wore the No. 11 jersey for both club and country and eventually was the captain of the famous 1992 Black Matours bronze-winning squad that became the first African football team to win a medal in the Olympics.

Benard Dong Bortey, on the other hand, added a new image to the club's No. 11 by becoming a joint top goal scorer with teammate Charles Taylor in the 2001/02 league.

He was also part of the club's historic Confederation Cup-winning squad in the 2004–05 season, where his goal against Santos in South Africa was nominated for CAF awards.

Other players like Samuel Afadzi, Samuel Ayisi, and Samuel Yeboah have had the honour to wear the shirt but failed to make any major impact on the club.

With his sterling performance at Ebusua Dwarfs, which earned him a call-up to the Black Galaxy team, Esso was brought in to replace former striker Kwame Kizito, who now plays in Lybia.

He was Ebusua  Dwarfs’ best player for 2016/17, scoring 12 goals in all competition, and joined the Phobians as a free agent following the expiration of his contract at the Cenrat regional club.

Below is the full squad of the Hearts of Oak's 26-man squad with their jersey numbers.

?GOALKEEPERS

Richard Baidoo, 16

Theophilus Jackson, 28

Ben Mensah, 1

Sylvanus Gbeti, 22

?? : DEFENDERS

Abdul Fatawu Mohammed, 2

Joshua Otoo, 20

 Benjamin Agyare, 3

Evans Quao, 24

Inusah Musah, 25

Richard Akrofi, 15

Christopher Bonney, 21

Radji Okemba, 12

Robert Sowah Addo, 29.

????MIDFIELDERS

Malik Akowuah, 5

Daniel Kordie, 4

Camara Nguessan, 27

Aminu Alhassan, 19

Samudeen Ibrahim, 8

Benjamin Afutu Kotei, 6

Winful Cobbinah, 10

???FORWARDERS

Patrick Razak, 7

Isaac Mensah, 18

Joseph Esso, 11

Cosmos Dauda, 14

Selassie Blessing, 23

??Aboubakar Traore, 9.


By Fiifi Abdul Malik/ghanaguardian.com