Claim: Gervinho, who was given the number 28 shirt, which was last worn by Ivory Coast teammate Emmanuel Eboué who was already on the verge of leaving the club, was sent off on his Premier League debut against Newcastle United for slapping Joey Barton.
Evidence: He was sent off on his Premier League debut against Newcastle United for slapping Joey Barton. He was named in the Ivorian senior squad for the first time for the friendlies against Angola and Qatar in November 2007, and was picked for the Ivorian squad for their 2008 African Cup of Nations campaign in Ghana where he was given the number 10 shirt.