The Best '10s' in Soccer History

The best '10s' in soccer history are and will always be remembered for their plays, goals and personalities. 

Who is the best number 10 in the history of soccer? This is one of the biggest topics of debate when it comes to soccer fans. Read along to discover who we consider the best 10s in the history of soccer.

What are the best 10s in soccer history?

This is a rather difficult question to answer since there’s a lot of criteria involved including emotions, subjectivity, and even memory. Therefore, it’s likely that you’ll agree with some of the players on our list and disagree with others. After reading this article, take a look at your own list and draw your own conclusions.

Diego Armando Maradona

For many, he’s considered to be the best soccer player of all time. He wore the number 10 shirt for the Argentine National Team. He also played for Argentine Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, and Napoli.

No one can deny that Maradona was ‘cosmic’ while on the pitch regardless of what jersey he wore. His goals and plays continue to be remembered clearly many years after his retirement. There are even those who say that the number 10 is synonymous with Diego Armando Maradona.

Soccer history: Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) was an exceptional forward who played for Santos in Brazil for most of his professional career (1956-1975). He also wore the number 10 jersey for more than one hundred friendly and official games with the Brazilian National Team, between 1957 and 1976.

Pele is considered to be one of the best athletes to emerge from Brazil. He eventually retired while playing for the New York Cosmos in the United States (1975-1977) where he also wore the number 10 jersey.

Michel Platini

Michel Platini is another player that easily makes the top 10 list. He was born in France, however, he’s best known for his success while playing for Juventus in Italy. He was also one of the stars on the French National Team in the seventies and eighties.

Michel Platini also won the Ballon D’or three times: in 1983, 1984, and 1985. This is an award given to the best European soccer player. Such was his relationship with the number 10 that he launched his own clothing line called, “Number 10”.

Lionel Messi

This number 10 is still very active in soccer. Lionel Messi proudly wears the number 10 that Maradona wore on the Argentine National Team and at Barcelona Football Club where he’s the undisputed star.

With more than 600 goals in 700 games with the Catalan team and 70 goals with the Argentine National Team, there’s no doubt that La Pulga (the tick) has become the new ’10’ that everyone aspires to be.

Soccer history: Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio is another historic number 10. The Italian is considered to be one of the most prominent players of the Azzurra squad from the nineties.

In addition to wearing the number 10 jersey during the World Cups in Italy 1990 and the United States 1995, he also wore the jersey while representing Juventus, Milan, and Inter Milan. During his spectacular career, he played 643 games and scored 291 goals.

Zinedine Zidane

This is a player that cannot be left off this list. Zizou is a French soccer player of Algerian descent. He formed part of the famous ‘galactic team’ at Real Madrid. He also played for Juventus.

For 12 years Zidane was the ’10’ of the French National Team, where he played 108 games and scored 31 goals. He was also part of the World Cup team that won in 1998.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho isn’t just a player who was incredibly talented, he also brought magic and fun to soccer games. Born in Brazil, Ronaldinho became ‘famous’ after his move to Paris Saint-Germain. While in Europe he also played for Barcelona and Milan.

He wore the number 10 jersey while playing for Gremio, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Flamengo, Atletico Mineiro, and Fluminense. When it came to the national team, Ronaldinho was also the indisputable number 10. He formed part of the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in 2002. They also reached the quarter-finals in 2006.

The list could include many more

There are other players who could have been included in the list of the best ’10’s in soccer history. Teofilo Cubillas, Zico, Rivaldo, Enzo Francescoli, Dennis Bergkamp, Ferenc Puskas, Rivelino, Mario Kempes, Lothar Matthaus, Francesco Totti, Luka Modric, Neymar Jr, Alessandro Del Piero, and Michael Laudrup are all obvious contenders. Who would you include on your list?