The reputation linked with the number 10 jersey in soccer is that some of the greatest players in football history have worn the number. It elevates them into an upper echelon of the best players in the game of all time.
This association with greatness and the number 10 is partly due to historic team formations and player positions, but also the fact that some of the greatest players in the history of football have shown themselves to be leaders on the pitch, playmakers, and maestros of the game while wearing the number 10 on their back.
What began as a tactical number for the central forward or attacking playmaker soon turned into a badge of honor.
Over the decades, the shirt grew larger than formations and chalkboards. It became shorthand for artistry, vision, and responsibility. Wearing the 10 meant being the one trusted to see passes others could not, to bend games in your favor, and to carry both teammates and nations when the stakes grew unbearable.
Some wore it with quiet genius, others with flamboyant brilliance.
A few treated it like a crown, and some shouldered it like a burden. Yet all the true greats left behind memories that outlived results and trophies. When the number 10 steps onto the pitch, football expects magic — and more often than not, it receives it.
10. Zico (Brazil)
Zico is remembered as the “White Pelé” and is widely considered one of the finest Brazilian players never to win a World Cup.
A maestro in midfield, he wore the number 10 jersey with Flamengo, Brazil’s national team, and later with Udinese in Italy, always dictating play with flair and vision.
For Flamengo, Zico scored an astonishing 508 goals, leading the club to multiple domestic titles and the Copa Libertadores in 1981.
He was not just a scorer, but also one of the greatest free-kick takers in history, with an unmatched ability to bend the ball over walls and into the top corner. His precision from dead-ball situations became a signature of his career.
With Brazil, Zico played in three World Cups, most memorably in 1982.
That team, often regarded as one of the best sides never to win the tournament, dazzled fans with their attacking football. Alongside Socrates and Falcão, Zico orchestrated a style that was pure joy to watch, but they were eliminated by Italy in a shock defeat.
Despite never lifting the World Cup, Zico’s performances left an indelible mark.
For many, Zico embodied the spirit of the number 10: creativity, imagination, and responsibility. He had the rare ability to decide matches on his own but also to elevate the players around him.
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9. Ferenc Puskás (Hungary)
Puskás was one of the most lethal finishers football has ever seen.
A left-footed forward with a thunderous shot, he built his reputation first with Hungary’s “Mighty Magyars” in the early 1950s before becoming a global superstar at Real Madrid.
With Hungary, Puskás was the centerpiece of a team that revolutionized football. His national side destroyed England 6–3 at Wembley in 1953, a match often considered one of the most significant in football history.
Wearing the number 10, he scored twice that day, humbling what was then regarded as the strongest team in the world. A year later, Hungary reached the 1954 World Cup final, with Puskás scoring in the decisive match, although they fell short against West Germany.
His career took a second life in Spain after joining Real Madrid in 1958. There, Puskás scored goals at a breathtaking rate, winning five La Liga titles and three European Cups.
He scored four times in the 1960 European Cup final, a game Madrid won 7–3 against Eintracht Frankfurt.
By the end of his career, Puskás had scored over 700 official goals, and his name is still synonymous with goalscoring brilliance.
His left boot remains legendary, and FIFA named its award for the best goal of the year after him. As a number 10, Puskás was both ruthless and inspirational, a player who bridged the eras of Hungary’s golden team and Real Madrid’s dominance
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8. Roberto Baggio (Italy)
Known worldwide as “Il Divin Codino” – the Divine Ponytail – Baggio was Italy’s great artist of the 1990s. A player of extraordinary skill and grace, Baggio carried the number 10 with elegance and courage, often under the crushing pressure of expectation.
Baggio’s dribbling was almost balletic, his touch delicate, and his finishing often sublime.
At Fiorentina, Juventus, and AC Milan, he lit up Serie A with moments of genius. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1993 after leading Juventus and the Italian national team with dazzling form.
His most famous, and painful, moment came at the 1994 World Cup. Baggio almost single-handedly dragged Italy to the final, scoring decisive goals in the knockout stages.
But in the final against Brazil, with the game going to penalties, Baggio missed the decisive spot-kick. The image of him standing alone in Pasadena, head bowed, remains one of football’s most haunting images.
Yet Baggio’s legacy transcends that miss.
He remains one of Italy’s greatest ever footballers, a number 10 whose artistry inspired millions. His resilience, his vision, and his ability to score goals that seemed impossible cement his place on this list.
7. Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands)
Bergkamp was the definition of elegance. His control of the ball bordered on perfection, and his vision made him one of the most intelligent forwards of his generation.
A Dutch number 10 who thrived in England with Arsenal, Bergkamp played the game at his own rhythm, never rushed, always graceful.
Bergkamp began at Ajax, where he learned the Dutch philosophy of total football, before moving to Inter Milan and later Arsenal.
It was in London where he truly found his home, becoming a legend in Arsène Wenger’s revolution at the club. He won three Premier League titles and was at the heart of Arsenal’s attacking play, linking seamlessly with Thierry Henry.
He produced some of the most iconic goals in football history: the spin and finish against Newcastle, the delicate flick against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, the volley against Leicester. Each goal was a masterpiece of imagination and execution.
What made Bergkamp unique was his calmness. He seemed immune to the chaos of defenders around him, able to create space with a single touch.
Though he was never the fastest player, his mind worked quicker than anyone else’s on the pitch. The number 10 fit him perfectly – a creator, a thinker, and a genius.
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6. Michel Platini (France)
Before becoming a controversial figure in football politics, Michel Platini was one of the greatest players France ever produced. Wearing the number 10, he was a playmaker of rare vision and a set-piece specialist with deadly accuracy.
Platini’s peak came in the 1980s, particularly during the 1984 European Championship. He scored nine goals in just five games, leading France to their first ever major trophy.
His ability to control a match with passing and intelligence made him one of the most complete midfielders of his time.
At Juventus, Platini was a leader during a golden era for the club, winning Serie A titles and the European Cup. His individual brilliance was recognized with three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards from 1983 to 1985.
Platini’s style was less about flashy tricks and more about efficiency.
He had a football brain that seemed to work a step ahead of everyone else. For France, for Juventus, and for the history of the number 10 shirt, Platini remains an essential figure.
5. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Few players combined grace and power quite like Zidane. Known as “Zizou,” the French midfielder made the number 10 shirt his own, leading France to its greatest footballing triumphs.
Zizou’s career-defining moment came in the 1998 World Cup final.
With the weight of a nation on his shoulders, he scored two headers against Brazil, delivering France their first ever World Cup. Two years later, he was the heartbeat of the French side that won Euro 2000.
At club level, Zidane starred at Juventus before moving to Real Madrid for a then-world-record fee. With Madrid, he scored one of the most iconic goals in Champions League history – a stunning left-footed volley in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Zidane’s game was all about balance.
His touch was velvet, his movement smooth, and his ability to control matches unmatched. Even his final act on the pitch, the infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final, reflected the intensity that fueled his brilliance.
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4. Ronaldinho (Brazil)
Ronaldinho brought joy to football in a way few others ever have. With a smile on his face and tricks that defied logic, he turned stadiums into playgrounds. Wearing 10 for Barcelona and Brazil, Ronaldinho became a symbol of fun, flair, and freedom.
At his peak, Ronaldinho was unstoppable.
Defenders could not predict his next move, whether it was a no-look pass, an outrageous elastico, or a shot from outside the box. In 2004 and 2005, he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, and in 2005 he claimed the Ballon d’Or.
With Brazil, he was part of the 2002 World Cup-winning team, scoring a legendary free-kick against England in the quarter-final.
At Barcelona, he helped transform the club, leading them to Champions League glory in 2006 and multiple La Liga titles. His influence paved the way for the next generation, including Lionel Messi, who learned under his wing.
Ronaldinho’s career burned bright but was relatively short at the very top.
Yet his impact remains unforgettable. He made people fall in love with football again, and his number 10 shirt became a global symbol of joy.
3. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Maradona embodied the number 10 shirt like few others. For Argentina and Napoli, he carried the hopes of millions and often delivered miracles. His left foot became a weapon of myth, his vision a gift that seemed supernatural.
Maradona’s crowning moment came at the 1986 World Cup.
In Mexico, he produced perhaps the greatest individual performance in tournament history. Against England, he scored both the infamous “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century,” weaving past half the opposition team before scoring.
He went on to inspire Argentina to lift the trophy, becoming immortal in the process.
At Napoli, he performed a different kind of miracle.
He took a modest club in southern Italy and led them to two Serie A titles, a UEFA Cup, and a level of glory they had never known before. In Naples, he became more than a footballer – he became a symbol of pride and defiance.
Maradona’s life was turbulent, full of controversy and struggle, but his football was pure genius. The number 10 was not just on his back, it was part of his soul.
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2. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Lionel Messi is the embodiment of footballing perfection in the modern era. Wearing the number 10 at Barcelona and Argentina, he shattered records and redefined what consistency at the highest level means.
At Barcelona, Messi scored 672 goals, won four Champions League titles, and collected countless domestic trophies. Individually, he won eight Ballon d’Or awards, more than any player in history. His dribbling, passing, and finishing were all world-class, but it was his intelligence and ability to adapt that made him unstoppable.
For years, the only criticism of Messi was his lack of success with Argentina. That changed in 2021, when he led his country to Copa América glory.
Then, in 2022, he crowned his career by winning the World Cup in Qatar. His performances throughout the tournament, capped by two goals in the final against France, sealed his status among the greatest of all time.
Messi is a quiet leader, less fiery than Maradona, but just as inspiring. The number 10 on his back came to represent artistry, loyalty, and unmatched brilliance.
1. Pelé (Brazil)
At the very top of this list stands Pelé, the original king of the number 10 shirt. For Brazil and Santos, he defined what it meant to be the best.
Pelé burst onto the world stage in 1958, as a 17-year-old at the World Cup in Sweden.
He scored a hat-trick in the semi-final and two goals in the final, announcing himself as a prodigy. He went on to win three World Cups – 1958, 1962, and 1970 – the only player ever to do so.
For Santos, he scored over 1,000 goals and led the club to Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup victories, making them one of the world’s dominant sides in the 1960s. His blend of power, skill, and instinct made him a complete forward.
Pelé was more than just numbers, though.
He brought joy, innovation, and hope. In 1970, with the iconic yellow Brazil shirt and the number 10 on his back, he captained perhaps the greatest team of all time. His goal in the final against Italy was a fitting exclamation mark on his international career.
When people think of football’s number 10, Pelé is often the first image that comes to mind. He set the standard, and in many ways, every number 10 who followed has lived in his shadow.
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10 Other Notable Players to Wear the Number 10 Jersey
- Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina/Spain)
A complete forward who won two Ballon d’Or awards and five European Cups with Real Madrid, known for his versatility and goal-scoring as a shadow striker. - Francesco Totti (Italy)
Roma’s one-club legend with over 250 goals, he won Serie A in 2001 and the 2006 World Cup with Italy, embodying loyalty and creative flair. - Juan Román Riquelme (Argentina)
A midfield genius idolized at Boca Juniors, he won multiple Copa Libertadores titles with sublime passing and control. - Kaká (Brazil)
The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner who led AC Milan to Champions League glory, known for his pace, technique, and peak performances in the mid-2000s. - Sócrates (Brazil)
A graceful captain who embodied “joga bonito,” he led Brazil in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups with precise passing and intellectual approach to the game. - Luka Modrić (Croatia)
The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner who led Croatia to the World Cup final and won multiple Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, renowned for his passing and technique. - Mesut Özil (Germany)
A prolific assist king who starred at Real Madrid and Arsenal, winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany and earning multiple German Player of the Year awards. - Wayne Rooney (England)
Manchester United’s all-time top scorer with 253 goals, he won five Premier League titles and was versatile in creating and scoring as England’s No. 10. - Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
One of the best passers in modern football, he has powered Manchester City to multiple Premier League titles with over 100 assists. - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
Pioneer of “Total Football,” he won three Ballon d’Or awards and transformed Ajax and Barcelona, occasionally wearing No. 10 despite his famous association with 14.
