In the new 4-4-2 formation, the number 10 retained an attacking role - playing off or alongside the center forward in the number 9 position. On the other hand, teams reserved the numbers 7-11 for midfielders and forwards. Numbers 2-6 were usually handed to defensive players (including holding midfielders ). They did this whilst keeping the numbering system as much as possible. Īs time passed and the game evolved, teams started to move away from the 2-3-5 formation. In this formation, the number 10 was a left inside-forward that occupied the channel between the left-winger and the center forward. One of the most successful formations in earlier years was the 2-3-5 pyramid - two fullbacks, three half-backs, and five forwards. Things were quite different in the past though. In modern soccer, the number 10 is usually seen to be the player occupying the space between midfielders and strikers - in a 4-2-3-1 formation, for instance. Let's explore some of the reasons why number '10' carries so much significance, and why so many famous players have worn it at some point in their careers. Some of the greatest moments in the history of soccer involved players sporting the famed number on the back of their shirts. Many attacking players nowadays aspire to have the “10” printed on the back of their shirts.įor starters, some of the greatest players that the game has seen wore the number 10. However, since soccer transcended from that singular purpose for jersey numbers, it has become more of a “prestige” tag. The number 10 was usually reserved for one of the attacking players. Originally, it was just one of the 11 numbers used to identify the position of a player on the pitch.Įach starting XI player had a shirt number assigned to them from 1 - 11. This hasn't always been the case, though. There’s a certain 'aura' that comes with it that naturally brings the assumption that the player is one of the best on the team. The number '10' is more than just a number when it comes to soccer.

Numbers assigned to soccer positions