The jersey #10 gives prestige, class, sense of superiority to the players that wear it. It is probably the most respected number in the history of soccer. I remember when I was only 11 years old and my coach decided to give me the 10. I felt like it was a prize for me, everyone even congratulated me for having the 10, but I also felt a responsibility to stand just because I had this number.
So, Why the best soccer players wear 10? Mostly it’s because of historical reasons, most of the greatest ever to play the game wore this number. Probably the two greatest players, Pele and Maradona, used it which is why 10 is associated with greatness. Other times it is given to players because of their position and not necessarily their skills.
However, it is not an indisputable truth that always number 10 on the field is the best player. There has also been a lot of players that wanted the 10 to perceive that sense of greatness but didn’t live up to the expectations the number carried. There has also existed a curse associated with the players that wear number 10 in one of the best teams in Europe. Keep reading this article to find out this and more.
The history behind number 10
It is no secret in the world of soccer that most of the best players to ever play this game, and the best players right now wear number 10. It is a domino reaction because once the first group of great number 10’s existed, young players wanted to use the same number because they wanted to transmit the same emotions their favorite players that wore 10 transmitted to them.
Take as an example probably the best player right now and one of the best in history: Lionel Messi. Just imagine how many people Messi is seen as an idol. He is probably the idol of most little kids that are starting to play soccer. When these kids grow older they will most likely choose to wear number 10 because it is the same number their idol used.
But, why Messi wore number 10? He actually didn’t start using number 10, when he first started to play at Barcelona’s first team he used number 30. However, years later when Ronaldinho left the team he was then given the number 10 because was called to be the next superstar of the team just as Ronaldinho was.
So, as you can see, most players that wear number 10 today use this number because they have someone that played before them that they admire a lot. This is the main reason why I say it’s a domino effect.
Some of the best players in history and from today that wear number 10 were: Rivaldo, Juan Roman Riquelme, Michelle Platini, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney, Cruyff, Ferenk Puskas, Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero, Totti, Sergio “Kun” Aguero, Neymar Jr, Phillipe Coutinho, Roberto Baggio, and I’m surely forgetting about many.
I didn’t like history at school, but I do love the history of soccer because it helps me understand many of the things that happen in soccer today. That’s why I recommend you read my article: How did Soccer Originate? History of the Game.
Jersey #10 is not associated with a single player. Like jersey #7 for example that most likely will make you think about Cristiano Ronaldo. Instead, it is linked with an endless list of great players in this game. However, there are 2 players that you might think of when you see number 10.
Pele and Maradona
If you ask anyone who they think the best player to ever play soccer was, they’ll most likely answer Maradona or Pele. It is no doubt that the most iconic tournament in football is the World Cup, and these are the two players that shined the most in this scenario, but most importantly, both did it wearing number 10.
They are both responsible that number 10 is associated with greatness. When you see two players win so much, beat so many defenders, score so many goals with this number, all you will think about when you see 10 in a soccer field is exactly what Maradona and Pele make you feel when you watch them play.
They are also responsible that fans expect so much from a player when they see them wearing number 10. Imagine a Brazilian or an Argentinian having to watch another player that is not Maradona or Pele in their national team wearing 10 and that this player doesn’t perform well in the team.
Probably you’ll see disappointment among fans, hearing them say things like “number 10 is too big for you”. This happens in most teams with a great number 10, it happened in Real Madrid for may years when Figo left and it will happen in Barcelona when Messi lefts.
Number 10 by position
Most of the time, the number a player uses on the field depends on his position. In the image below you can see the number each position usually wears. Disclaimer, this is not “written on rock”, the number each player uses might change depending on the team and the formation.
I know the central defenders and central midfielders have the same number, but most of the time the numbers in these positions varies, besides, when a team plays 4-4-2 (as seen in the blue team) they usually call the center midfielders the double 5.
Goalkeepers wear 1 and 12, Left-backs wear 3, Right-backs wear 4, Central defenders wear 2, Central midfielders wear 5, right-wingers 8, left-wingers wear 11, creative midfielders wear 10, and forwards wear 9.
These are the two most common formations in soccer. As you can see, in the red team the number 10 is usually the creative midfielder, the one that puts magic into the game, the player that usually gives assists and scores goals. The best player that describes this position is Lionel Messi.
In the blue team, the most common formation in soccer, number 10 is usually a forward. Next to number 9, he usually has to be the player that scored the most goals for the team.
What both positions number 10’s play have in common? They are offensive positions. As in most sports, the offensive players will be the most popular. For example in American Football, the most popular player will be the quarterback. The same happens in soccer, most of the attention is given to the positions number 10 usually plays at.
This is a good reason to think that number 10 is such an iconic number because, usually, the players that are in the spotlight wear it. I can tell you that I have never seen a goalkeeper or a defender wear number 10. If this was the number commonly usually use, I probably wouldn’t have even written this article.
It might be unfair that all the spotlight goes to one player, however, in my article 17 Reasons Why Soccer Is The Most Popular Sport in the World I explain that one of the reasons why soccer is so popular is because everyone has the chance to shine. Make sure to take a look at it to know what I mean.
Not all 10’s are good
I just wanted to make it crystal clear that a number on your jersey doesn’t make you a good or bad player. There might be people that think that because a player is using number 10 it makes him automatically the best player on the field, which is not true at all.
It is true that there has been a lot of great players that wear this jersey, and it is also true that is an iconic jersey, however, there has also been a lot of players that used it and didn’t make a difference on the team.
Sometimes, there is no other player that wants number 10, so when a new player arrives he sees that the number is available and he takes it. Not always a player is wearing it because of its skill, it can also be a mere coincidence.
Real Madrid’s #10 curse
I wanted to talk about this curious fact that happened at Real Madrid with the number 10. In the early 2000s with the “Galacticos” team, the number 10 was worn by Portuguese player Luis Figo. He was considered the last great player to use number 10 after he left for more than 10 years.
After the era of the “galacticos” ended, Real Madrid fans believed the number 10 jersey was cursed because a lot of great players that promised to success on the team, ended up being a failure as they didn’t perform as expected. Among these players were: Lassana Diarra, Mesut Ozil, Wesely Snijder, James Rodriguez, and Robinho.
It seems like the history of these players repeated again and again. All of them came as a new superstar, that expected to change the way Real Madrid will play in the field, and the fans wanted them to contribute with lots of assists and goals. However, because of different reasons, they never reached the desired level.
Because of the similarities in these players, people started to say Real Madrid’s #10 jersey was cursed. This was later changed when Luka Modric grabbed the team’s 10 after wearing number 19 for many years. After he started using the 10, nothing happened and he kept being one of the most important players in the team. In fact, one year later, he won the Balon D’or, awarded to the best player in the world.