Why number 10 in soccer

Originally the numbers stuck rigidly to their position on the field. So, for example, if one player plays as a central midfielder in one game, he would wear the number 8, and if he played as an attacking midfielder in the next game, he would wear the number It is only in more recent times that a number has been associated with a specific player on a team rather than a position on the field.

These days, a number will be allocated to a specific player in a squad at the beginning of a season, and they will wear the same number whatever position they play in throughout the season. Even before the numbers began to be associated with players rather than positions, the attacking midfield position, which the 10 represents, was one of the most exciting positions to play in and to watch.

This player in this position is often the most creative in the team. They make passes and create moves that no other player can do. They have incredible vision and can see a pass that opens up a defense.

The role of a number 10 in soccer is to create goal-scoring opportunities for their team. They do this by making incisive passes, creating space for other players, or scoring goals themselves.

The player who wears the number 10 is usually the playmaker on a team. Playing the ball into areas where the team can have the most impact. For this, they need to be able to effectively read the game and predict what is going to happen before it actually happens. The number 10 is often the most naturally gifted and creative player on a team. They must have the ability not just to pass or shoot accurately but also dribble with the ball, find space for themselves and other team players, cross effectively, and control the ball in an instant.

As an attacking player, when they receive the ball their first reaction should be to see if they can move the ball into a more advanced position. The team will be looking to them to create goal-scoring opportunities and score goals themselves. The playmaker needs to possess great technical skills with the ball. Their superior technical skill allows them to keep hold of the ball for as long as they need and not get tackled easily.

It is worth mentioning that when we are talking about playmakers there is a difference between advanced playmakers and deep-lying playmakers. Players such as the Italian Andrea Pirlo sit further back in the team, often just in front of the defenders, and orchestrate the play from there.

Have a look around. You may even find something you like and want to buy for yourself! Go on, you deserve it!! Maradona was a technical genius with the ball at his feet.

He was fast and could dribble past any player. He had incredible vision and creativity with the ball. 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. 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 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. 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.

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. I wanted to talk about this curious fact that happened at Real Madrid with the number He was considered the last great player to use number 10 after he left for more than 10 years. 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. After he started using the 10, nothing happened and he kept being one of the most important players in the team. This not an easy task. Number 10 is a jersey you have to earn with respect from all your teammates and coaches. A safety net for the stopper s alongside them Races to cover gaps when defence is breached Less concerned with man-marking Reads the game from deep Joins midfield build-up when in possession.

Bundesliga archetype: Makoto Hasebe. Hasebe won the Bundesliga as a midfielder with Wolfsburg in , but now, 10 years on, he has used some of the skills honed in the position to become perhaps the best example of a sweeper the league has to offer.

The Japan captain may be 35, but if he has lost a yard of pace in his legs, he more than makes up for it with his speed of thought.

Same, central defensive position as the stopper Also more likely to be used in a back three Keeping the ball as important as winning it back Confident in possession Greater onus on long, accurate passes.

Bundesliga archetype: Mats Hummels. Equal parts stopper and sweeper, Hummels and long-time Bayern and Germany counterpart Jerome Boateng redefined the central defensive role on approaching their collective peaks around the mark.

At 30, Hummels could yet prove to be the scoop of the summer for Die Schwarzgelben , though. Aussenrist is German for the outside of your foot, and Hummels uses his to devastating effect. Invariably playing left centre-back, the right-footer span the ball to a teammate with a heat-seeking 92 percent of his passes last season, even though he attempted some long balls. He teed up 15 shots on the opposition goal, one of which was scored. Tom Brady eat your heart out. Sits in front of the defence Wins the ball back with tackles and interceptions Covers teammates when they go forward Harries opposition attackers Physically fit and tenacious.

Bundesliga archetype: Thomas Delaney. Whilst double pivot dance partner Witsel is adept at winning the ball back, he also likes to build play. Delaney deals more exclusively in the darker arts, a dash more Schwarz than Gelb. With his low centre of gravity and top speed of 21 miles per hour, Delaney is able to get in around the feet of opposition attackers, winning the ball back an average of 10 times per game. In short, Delaney can slow down opposition attacks without leaving his team a man down for the rest of the game.

Bundesliga archetype: Thiago Alcantara. The current Manchester City coach got his man, and the Bavarians have been reaping the rewards ever since.

Bundesliga archetype: Weston McKennie. Eleven of his 24 appearances saw him start in his preferred central midfield role, though, and he can expect to stay there for the foreseeable. Box-to-box midfielders are often built like middleweight boxers, fit enough to dominate the game in attacking and defensive phases, sometimes seconds apart, and McKennie fits the bill.

Schalke are rebuilding after a disappointing season — Nabil Bentaleb and Hamza Mendyl are among those to have left — but McKennie has had his contract extended until For the Royal Blues, this box-to-box midfielder ticks all the boxes. Bundesliga archetype: Filip Kostic.

It barely seems fathomable that Kostic suffered two relegations just two years apart with first Stuttgart and then Hamburg.