Top 10 Football Players who wore number 10 jersey. The excellent Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman propagated the printing of squad numbers on the back of jerseys during a match versus Sheffield Wednesday in 1928. His intention was to instill in his players the value of being aware of where they were on the pitch.
The digits were assigned in ascending order, beginning with the custodian, who was dressed in a shirt bearing the number 1. The 2-3-5 configuration was then adopted by teams across the world most frequently. The team’s main strikers, as a result, were designated by the numbers 9 and 10 on the backsides of their shirts.
The English Football Association initially opposed the practice of numbering, but it has since developed into one of the most well-known characteristics associated with football players. When a team announces a new signing, fans excitedly await learning the player’s allotted jersey number.
This demonstrates the significance these numbers have been given. In today’s football world, jersey sales revenue is a hot topic of conversation.
As new formations began to appear, the roles assigned to the prior Chapman squad numbers began to change. The number 10 has only been reserved since the 1950s for the team’s top performance. Positionally, this number was associated with a second striker who later gained the title of offensive midfielder and, in some formations, trequartista.
No matter what position they played, the greatest footballers to ever take the pitch wore the number 10 jersey. Let’s look at the top ten athletes that have ever sported the number 10 shirt during their successful careers in light of this.
#10 Francesco Totti:
“When you hear about Roma, you think of Totti.” The Golden Kid of Rome and the Gladiator of Italian football, Francesco Totti, carried his devotion to AS Roma proudly throughout his playing career.
Totti has played in a number of interesting formations, such as the trequartista, winger, false nine, and pure striker. The Italian has consistently excelled for his childhood squad whenever he wears the recognizable red shirt, regardless of his position.
Totti made an enduring effect while playing for Roma, and he is without a doubt one of the finest players to ever don the legendary jersey.
#9 Denis Law:
The Old Trafford supporters lovingly referred to him as “The Lawman,” and he was one of the best players to ever play at the Theatre of Dreams. Given the caliber of athletes the renowned Scotsman has guided, Law has previously been touted to as the best player Sir Matt Busby has ever tutored.
Law was used as the second striker by Sir Busby because he was a committed athlete with a strong sense of goal. When he won the coveted Ballon d’Or in 1964, he did so while sporting the number 10 shirt. Along with George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton, he was one of the three offensive players who comprised Manchester United’s Holy Trinity.
#8 Roberto Baggio:
There is no need to introduce the Italian Hall of Famer Roberto Baggio, who won FIFA’s World Player of the Year award in 1993. Baggio, also referred to as “Il Divin Codino” or “the Divine Ponytail,” has a successful career for both club and nation.
He has more than 200 Serie A goals to his name and is one of Italy’s best goal scorers with 27 international goals. Baggio wore the number 10 jersey when competing for Juventus, Inter Milan, and the Italian national team.
He fluctuated between playing as a second striker and an attacking midfielder throughout his career. However, despite his amazing talent, he will always be remembered for missing a penalty in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil.
#7 Michel Platini:
The Frenchman was one of the greatest playmakers the beautiful game has ever produced. He was one of the best of his generation due to both his inventiveness and prolific goal-scoring. Platini, who played with the number 10 jersey, was a standout at Saint-Etienne and Juventus and made a key contribution to France’s success at the 1984 Euro.
The Frenchman won three consecutive Ballon d’Or honors from 1983 to 1985. He received the French Player of the Century award in 1999. Platini will always be remembered as a superb football leader and a talented midfielder who was capable of producing works of art.
#6 Ronaldinho:
“Gaucho” donned a number of different jerseys throughout his career, but his finest moments were spent in Barcelona, during which he wore the iconic number 10. The slick, flamboyant midfielder, who also assisted the Catalans in ushering in a new era, was looked up to by an entire generation.
He knew every trick in the book and used them to enthrall football fans with his elasticos and no-look passes. With Brazil, he won the 2002 World Cup, and in 2004 and 2005, FIFA voted him Player of the Year.
Although Ronaldinho did not consistently score 30 goals or have a strong work ethic during his professional career, his joy when the ball was at his disposal made him among the most loved athletes of all time.
#5 Zico:
Zico, who was frequently referred to as “The White Pele” while he was playing, was one of the best playmakers in football history. He became Brazil’s talisman in the late 1970s and early 1980s because of his vision and superb finishing. Both football fans and analysts agreed that he was the best player in the world at the time.
Brazil’s team in the 1970s and 1980s put on quite a show with their flair and class under Zico, who wore the number 10 jersey. Zico, who played as the number 10 for Brazil, is still recognized as one of the best players who was never a World Cup winner.
#4 Zinedine Zidane:
It’s challenging to put into words an enigma like Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman was one of the best attacking midfielders of his generation and was the most graceful footballer anyone had ever seen. His pirouettes were works of beauty, and his goal for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final is still regarded as one of the greatest goals in history.
Former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano once said of him: “He makes it worthwhile going into the stadium.” Such was the charisma and grace of the person whose career was tragically cut short by a red card in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.
#3 Pele:
According to a remark from Michel Platini, “To play like Pele is to play like God.” The Brazilian, the first footballing megastar, captivated the world’s attention with his incredible wizardry and superb goal-scoring performances. He wore the number 10 jersey for Brazil, where he helped win a World Cup record three times.
The attacking prowess of the Brazil team, which included Pele, is still unsurpassed by any team since. Brazil is sometimes recognized as the greatest team in history. Pele earned the moniker “King of Football” thanks to his incredible goal total and trophy collection.
#2 Diego Maradona:
Maradona was more than just a football player. He saved both his nation and the teams he played for, Boca Juniors and Napoli. Maradona was a one-man army who was able to become one of the greatest players the world has ever seen.
He scored a lot of remarkable goals while wearing the number 10 jersey, including the ‘goal of the century’ against England in 1986. The Argentinian superstar was a brilliant trequartista with unmatched dribbling, a typical number 10.
The number 10 jersey was retired by Napoli in remembrance of their best player. He has secured a spot among the greats of the game thanks to his vision, goal-scoring prowess, and legacy.
#1 Lionel Messi:
The Argentine represents the core principle of wearing the number 10 on the back, despite not having played in a typical number 10 position during his career. According to legend, “La Pulga” is/was the best player in the club and typically wears the desired shirt.
Many detractors have claimed that Messi cannot be considered “the best of all time” since he does not have a World Cup to his credit, but one only needs to look at the statistics and the sheer volume of trophies that he has won to see why he is so brilliant.
After Messi scored a miraculous goal, a Spanish commentator succinctly and accurately described him as follows: “Tell your mothers how grateful you are that she gave birth to you so you can see Lionel Messi in person.”
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