/https://sportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net/uploads/2025/07/imago1063390322-1-688b7f69e0d0e546809690.jpg "\"Superstitious\" Palhinha takes special Spurs shirt number - Sports Mole")
Tottenham Hotspur new boy Joao Palhinha has been bestowed with the number six shirt in North London following his arrival from Bayern Munich.
Spurs confirmed over the weekend that they had signed the former Fulham midfielder on loan with an option to buy, which totals â¬30m (£26.1m) through a â¬25m (£21.7m) fixed fee and â¬5m (£4.3m) in add-ons.
Palhinha was not immediately given a squad number by the Europa League winners, but the Portugal international is now confirmed to be sporting the number six shirt for the Lilywhites, the same jersey he has worn for Portugal since 2020.
The midfielder also sported the '6' during his two senior seasons at Sporting Lisbon, before donning the number 26 jersey for Fulham and the number 16 shirt in his first campaign with Bayern Munich.
Explaining his reasoning for usually choosing a jersey with a '6' on the back, Palhinha revealed that the number marked the date that he lost his grandfather, and the six therefore has a special place in the "superstitious" midfielder's heart.
Tottenham's Palhinha: 'Number six shirt has a special meaning to me'
"I try to choose always a number with a six â sometimes itâs not available but since I started my career, it was a number that Iâve had with me because of my family," Palhinha told the official Tottenham website.
"It means a lot for me because of my grandfather⦠itâs the day that he left our family and since my grandfather died, if I have a look, a lot of important things in my life have happened on this day, with the number six.
"I can remember my first goal... everything that has been important in my career â not just the career, but in other things as well â most of the days have the number six.
âIâm a bit superstitious and I believe always that this number has an important meaning for me and my family and this is why I want to keep, if possible, the number with me on the shirt."
Tottenham's new number six could make his debut for the club in Thursday's friendly with parent club Bayern in the Telekom Cup, before Thomas Frank's men take on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on August 13.
Which other Tottenham players have worn the number six shirt?
When Palhinha signed his contract as a new Tottenham player, the number six shirt was in the possession of Radu Dragusin, but the Romanian has switched to the number three to vacate the '6' for his new teammate.
Tottenham's number six shirt was perhaps most notably worn by Steve Perryman, who holds the record for the most appearances for the Lilywhites with a staggering 866 between 1969 and 1986.
Perryman is the only man to play more games for Spurs than Gary Mabbutt, who also sported the '6' during his time at White Hart Lane and sits second on the club's appearance list with 611.