The number 10 on a football shirt is not just a number. It embodies a special status for a player on the field, symbolizing respect from the club and an expectation of high results and individual mastery, akin to the high stakes and prestige found at Slotozen casino login. In the history of football, many bright and legendary footballers have donned the number 10 on their back, demonstrating their unique abilities and changing the course of games in moments of brilliance. I present to you the top-10 players with the number 10, a list that includes footballers who have made a significant difference on the field through their individual mastery, much like a skilled player navigating the challenges and opportunities in a game of strategy and luck.
10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Career years: 1999-2023.
Clubs: Played for 9 clubs, including Juventus, Inter, Milan, Barcelona, PSG, Manchester United.
Ibrahimovic is one of the most unpredictable forwards. He distinguished himself with excellent field vision and was good in aerial play, standing at 195 cm. The player often stood out for his unconventional goals. For example, in 2012, Zlatan scored 4 goals against the England national team in a friendly match (score 4:2). The last goal was sent into Joe Hart’s net from 25 meters with a bicycle kick over himself.
Even in his 40s, Ibra performed at a top level. On 18 May 2023, Zlatan scored a goal against Udinese and broke the Serie A record, becoming the oldest footballer to score in the championship (41 years and 166 days). The Swede ended his career at almost 42 years old.
Playing for 9 clubs, Ibra only didn’t receive team trophies with Malmo, where he started his football path, and Los Angeles Galaxy. Over his career, Ibrahimovic played in 827 matches, scoring 496 goals and providing 205 assists.
9. Wayne Rooney
Career years: 2002-2020.
Clubs: Everton, Manchester United, DC United, Derby County.
Rooney spent 13 of his 18 years of professional playing for the “Red Devils”.
Rooney was a versatile attack player. At MU under Alex Ferguson, and later Louis van Gaal, he played both as a center forward and in the midfield. The player was known for his well-placed shot, making him dangerous even from outside the penalty area. Wayne often joined attacks from depth, acting as a playmaker. He was distinguished by his high speed, creating many problems for opponents’ defense.
8. Luka Modric
Career years: From 2003.
Clubs: Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham, Real Madrid.
With Dinamo Zagreb, Modric became a three-time national champion and won three cup trophies. From 2008, he played for Tottenham, and from 2012, he became the main playmaker of Real Madrid.
If the previous two tens in this rating were considered forwards, Modric is a player who does a lot of the hard work, actively helps the team in interceptions, and creates prospects for attacking development. Luka makes the game of the whole team better with simple and effective movements. And it’s not just in the star-studded Real. The player helped the Croatian national team, which lacks extremely bright stars, reach the World Cup final in 2018 and win bronze in 2022.
In Real, the player won 23 titles, including 5 Champions League victories and the same number in the FIFA Club World Cup and 4 UEFA Super Cup wins.
7. Alessandro Del Piero
Career years: 1991-2015.
Clubs: Padova, Juventus, Sydney, Delhi Dynamos.
Del Piero spent almost his entire career at Juventus, playing for the Turin club from 1993 to 2012. The player was a magnificent playmaker with excellent field vision. He was also known for his free-kick execution. Del Piero was unpredictable and not straightforward. Besides his passing art, he had excellent technique. He often took shots at goal from the left corner of the penalty area, leading football commentators to nickname such goals as Del Piero goals.
The Italian won almost every possible trophy. Del Piero’s collection lacks only the Ballon d’Or and a European Championship victory. The player won the Euro twice, but only with the youth national team. Read about all Ballon d’Or winners.
6. Francesco Totti
Career years: 1992-2017.
Clubs: Roma.
The only footballer who scored goals in 23 Serie A seasons. Totti was a deep-lying forward or an attacking midfielder. Read more about football positions. The player rarely joined the defence but built the team’s play in attack. Totti had a significant influence on the club and remained the captain of the “wolves” from 1999 to 2017. Along with Roma, he became the Serie A winner, a two-time Coppa Italia holder, and won the Supercoppa Italiana.
In 2017, Totti helped his club finish second in the championship. After Totti ended his career, Roma played without him. The team looked decent for some time but could not reach its previous heights in Serie A.
5. Zinedine Zidane
Career years: 1988-2006.
Clubs: Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus, Real Madrid.
At the club level, the player wore number 11 for Cannes, 7 in Bordeaux, 21 in Juventus, and 5 in Real. Zidane is most remembered as number 10 for the French national team, for which he played 108 matches, not counting his youth level appearances.
Zidane became a legend of the national team, standing out with unique technique, dribbling, and well-placed shot. Zizou was known for his excellent field vision and ability to give assists of all kinds. Unpredictability and technique made Zinedine the strongest playmaker in Europe at that time.
In 1998, Zizou won the Ballon d’Or. Over his career, he won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Italian and Spanish championships, and with the French national team, he helped win the European Championship and the World Cup.
4. Ronaldinho
Career years: 1998-2015.
Clubs: Gremio, Barcelona, PSG, Milan, Flamengo, Atletico Mineiro, Queretaro, Fluminense.
One of the few footballers who treated football not as a job but as a hobby. The player enjoyed every match and showed a real show. Ronaldinho’s dribbling was on a completely different level. He was not afraid to take on several opponents at once, knew how to shoot at goal, and give goal-scoring passes even in the most unpredictable situations. He was especially known for his excellent execution of free kicks.
Ronaldinho is the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner. The footballer played in Europe from 2001 to 2011. I believe the Brazilian left European football prematurely and could have strengthened any top club for several more years.
3. Diego Maradona
Career years: 1976-1997.
Clubs: Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla.
The Argentine played the most matches for the Neapolitan club. The Napoli stadium is named after this legendary forward.
Maradona made a difference on the football field thanks to his individual mastery and could independently get past the entire defence of the opponents. The player was distinguished by good dribbling at high speed. It was his actions that inspired the previous player in the rating – Ronaldinho.
Maradona scored many goals thanks to individual actions. He knew how to shoot from any position. In 2020, Maradona was recognized as the most technical player in football history. All the teams for which Diego Armando played began to show football of higher quality.
Maradona led Napoli to two Serie A championships and triumphed in the World Cup in 1986 with the national team. Maradona is in our top of the best footballers in football history.
2. Pele
Career years: 1956-1977.
Clubs: Santos, New York Cosmos.
Pele is the only footballer to have won the World Cup three times: 1958, 1962, 1970. The Brazilian also has three Ballon d’Ors to his name.
Pele was noted for his extraordinary productivity. For Santos, the forward scored 504 goals in 496 matches (averaging more than one goal per game) and won 25 trophies. The striker remains one of the best goal scorers for the Brazil national team, with 77 goals to his name.
1. Lionel Messi
Career years: From 2003.
Clubs: Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami.
For Parisians, Messi played under number 30. But the footballer is most remembered as number 10 for Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
Messi is a 4-time Champions League winner and a 10-time champion of Spain with Barcelona. The record for the number of Ballon d’Ors seems eternal. Lionel won all the important trophies in his career, including the Copa America and the World Cup with the Argentina national team.
The Argentine is considered one of the most technical footballers. He is known for his ability to make a difference on the football field on his own. This became even more noticeable after the player moved to Inter Miami, where Messi, with the last team at that time in MLS, became the winner of the League Cup, marking himself with productive actions in each game.