Jesse Lingard changes name on back of his shirt for new club mid-way through season

Jesse Lingard has been permitted to change the name on the back of his shirt midway through the 2026 Brasileirao season.

Lingard left FC Seoul in December, scoring on his final appearance for the club the South Korean side in an AFC Champions League draw with Melbourne City.

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And while a return to England was mooted, with former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke suggesting the midfielder move to Championship Wrexham, the 33-year-old penned a one-year deal with Brazilian side Corinthians in March.

The former England international reportedly turned down a move to MLS side New York Red Bulls in favour of a switch to the South American giants in order to reunite with ex-United teammate Memphis Depay.

A recommendation from the Dutchman and a pitch from agent Fernando Martins convinced Lingard to make the move to Sao Paulo.

“He told me: this is different. It’s a ‘good vibe’, it shows the joy of the Brazilian people,” Martins told Globo Esporte last month.

Lingard, who made his 13th appearance for Corinthians in a 1-0 win over Barra FC in midweek, has scored twice for the Brazilian giants since making the move across the Atlantic.

One of Lingard’s two goals came in the Copa do Brasil last month, which saw him become the first British player to score in the competition.

And Lingard, who previously sported his surname with the number 77, has since swapped his name on the back of his shirt to ‘J Lingz’.

Lingard isn’t the first player to have swapped their name on the back of their shirt.

Corinthians teammate Depay dropped his surname on the back of his shirt for ‘Memphis’ earlier in his career in part due to his relationship with his father.

Former Tottenham and Everton midfielder Dele Alli also requested to be known as ‘Dele’ rather than ‘Alli’ on his shirt.

The player himself, meanwhile, was forced to fold his ‘JLINGZ’ fashion brand last year after accumulating £283k in debt.

Lingard initially branched into the fashion business ahead of representing England at the 2018 World Cup.

However, the company itself never took off and it’s been claimed was never profitable from the moment it launched.