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In football, the number 10 shirt is revered and is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable and iconic.
Those who wear this jersey number feel exclusive, elegant, and superior.
The majority of football players that wear this number are legends of the game and are widely considered the finest players of their era.
The number 10 jersey is mainly worn by creative midfielders, who are often the game’s salt and magic, giving assists and scoring goals.
Below are the ten greatest football players who have worn the number 10 Jersey.
Dennis Bergkamp was to football what Vincent van Gogh was to painting with his right foot.
Technically speaking, few players before or after him have been able to compete with him.
He could defeat opponents with technique, cunning, and a deadly eye for a pass, as seen by his magnificent control against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup and the nearly identical play at Filbert Street versus Leicester City.
The Dutchman's altruism aided Ian Wright and Thierry Henry at Arsenal. Bergkamp ended the Premier League season with 94 assists.
Only Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard made more, but they also played for far longer.
After qualifying from the Ajax academy, he struggled for a while at Inter Milan before Bruce Rioch swooped in.
In addition to giving his team innumerable opportunities during his 11-year tenure at Arsenal, Bergkamp scored 100 goals himself, the best of which is his strike against Newcastle United that defied gravity.
The majority of pictures of Zinedine Zidane that come to mind are of him wearing one of France's famous blue shirts, particularly during that career-defining World Cup in 1998.
Zizou had not had a significant influence before his two-headed goals in the championship game though.
His evil side was hinted at during the group stage with a red card, but he burst onto the scene at the Stade de France.
Much later, he gave one of his greatest performances for Les Bleus.
The 34-year-old turned the clock back and taught two of the game's powerhouses a lesson in football skills while competing against Spain and Brazil in 2006.
He became a legend at each team he played for, and when he arrived, he elevated both Juventus and Real Madrid.
His incredible volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League final in Glasgow will never be forgotten. It is undeniable that he was a real Galactico.
Johan Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team" included Michael Laudrup, a Dane who was also the team's primary playmaker, so you know he must be of the highest calibre.
Not many players effectively bridge the barrier as Laudrup did.
He is the greatest player to ever represent Denmark, one of the finest foreign stars to ever play in Spain, and a member of Real Madrid's greatest foreign XI.
He was hailed as the greatest player of all time by Raul, Anders Iniesta, and Pep Guardiola, and was cited as the finest player of all time by Luis Figo, Romario, and Hristo Stoichkov.
Laudrup was gifted with speed and was equally skilled and graceful. His ball-handling skills were so adaptable that he could play practically anywhere in the attacking midfield.
The Danish player had it all; he was a passer on par with Michel Platini and had the skill to compete with Bergkamp.
His one fault was not being more self-centred, which would have helped him score more goals.
He had incredible balance, vision, and close ball control.
For his marketability, Real Madrid acquired David Beckham at the same time as Barcelona bet on PSG's Ronaldinho. The cheerful Brazilian didn't disappoint.
Ronnie served as a link between a squad that was in transition and the dominant Spanish power club that exists now.
He was the well-respected Brazilian who managed to smash Real Madrid so completely at the Santiago Bernabeu that Los Blancos fans could only stand and admire the Barcelona player.
With dazzling footwork, he moved the ball in ways that previously appeared physically impossible.
Despite their flare, many players fail to have the exquisite vision to identify a teammate and even pull off no-look passes at will but Ronaldinho did this effortlessly.
Ronaldinho performed what he was planning to do before you could realize it and then started imagining something different.
Had he been able to maintain his accomplishments for a longer length of time, he undoubtedly would have ranked even higher on this list.
He won many Player of the Year accolades, two La Liga championships, and the 2005–06 Champions League.
But while his many tricks and tactics may become less effective with time, his smile will never go away.
Zico had incredible skill, vision, an unmatched passing range, and the capacity to score.
He earned the moniker "white Pele" since Pelé famously remarked: "Throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico."
He scored 539 goals while playing more than 800 times for the Brazilian club, but he is undoubtedly one of the finest players to have ever played in the 1970s and early 1980s since he was one of the best passers of the ball.
It will be difficult for some to compare him to some of the other Samba legends because he didn't win any of the three World Cups he competed in during a time when Brazil was dominant.
Let that take nothing away from his ability to bend and manipulate the ball with both feet though.
A dead-ball specialist, he was Beckham before you could get paid for wearing fancy pants.
It's difficult to disagree with the three-time Ballon d'Or winner when FIFA ranks the Frenchman as the sixth-best player of all time in their Player of the Century vote.
One of the finest passers of his period, Michel Platini excelled with the ball in his hands.
He was another expert at dead balls and was composed when he took penalties.
He was another playmaker who appeared to be one step ahead of the opponents. He was deceptively swift and capable of playing wherever in the attack.
He wasn't physically gifted and didn't have the appearance of an athletic or gifted athlete, but despite doubts about his work ethic and fitness, if you gave him the ball, he would find a way to defeat you.
There was nothing Le Roi couldn't accomplish. He would outshine you in the air or on the ground, dismantle your defence with a devastating pass or a deft dribble.
Despite being a hero as a player and helping France win the European Championships in 1984, his success off the field hasn't been as great.
The creator of his movie, the father of complete football, and a game influencer we will never see again.
Johan Cruyff was a genius who played for both Barcelona and Ajax.
The Dutchman, who produced some of his greatest work out wide, would drift into various areas of the pitch, finding space that the defence didn't even know there.
He was a headache to mark and a delight to see, pushing and tugging his markers from wide areas back to his penalty area.
Perhaps the most inventive player not only of his generation but of all time.
Cruyff possessed everything: technique, speed, outstanding acceleration, vision to choose a pass, and the ability to defeat his man when nothing was on.
A tactical mind that has yet to be matched, he witnessed things on and off the field that players can only dream about imitating.
Alfredo Di Stefano was possibly the first backup striker. He was a legend and a pioneer in his own right.
Pele, Eusebio, and John Charles all referred to him as the most complete player they had ever seen, and his 376 goals in 522 games earn him a well-deserved distinction as one of football's finest number forwards.
He was able to transition from frontman to creative force, which helped him stand out.
Real Madrid considers him their greatest-ever player, and his relationship with Ferenc Puskas provided Los Blancos with unprecedented success at the time, with the club winning five European Cups.
The Argentine-born Spanish international is one of the finest players in history, having won two Ballon d'Ors and eight Spanish league titles.
Your views towards Diego Maradona are influenced by your age and nationality. In England, he is a pantomime villain, but his performance against the Three Lions makes him a cult icon in his hometown of Buenos Aires.
When he got going, his stocky bulk and bullish frame made him a challenge to stop.
He could twist and turn beyond many players in the blink of an eye because of his low centre of gravity.
He seemed to win the 1986 World Cup on his own, and it nearly felt like he might have done it by taking on the opposition himself.
His best qualities were his dribbling, magnetic close control, and a nearly superhuman burst of acceleration.
A legend for Barcelona, Boca Juniors and Napoli, he must go down as one of the greatest ever footballers, not just No.10s.
Few would rank this little Argentine wizard above the great Diego, but nostalgia and the great players of the past may blind us at times.
In 20 to 30 years, no one will bat an eyelid if Lionel Messi is named the best creative attacking player of all time.
Messi has rewritten the Barcelona record books, which is incredible when you consider all of the players who have come before him, becoming the club's all-time leading scorer at the age of 24.
Even more amazing, he owns the record for most assists in La Liga history.
While he will always find a way to score, it will never be at the expense of his team.
Even as a 'False 9', he would drop back, pick up the ball, and initiate the majority of Barcelona's attacks.
With eleven league titles, four Champions League medals, eight Ballon d'Or awards, and more records than Maradona, it's terrifying to think that the 35-year-old still has more to come.
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