Watching Argentina suffer penalty shoot-out heartbreak during this summer’s Copa America final, the debate over the greatest player ever to represent the Albiceleste began once again. Some champion Barcelona man Lionel Messi, while others inevitably call to mind the exploits of Diego Maradona, who almost single-handedly led the team to its second World Cup triumph back in 1986.
Messi’s international career has always been somewhat overshadowed by that comparison and the legacy he inherited as he pulled on Argentina’s iconic No. 10 shirt. Very few shirts in world football are as history-laden as that one, with perhaps Manchester United’s No. 7 jersey chief among them. That particular legacy began with George Best and lived on over the years through Bryan Robson and Eric Cantona before being worn by David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
From Saturday’s #SuperCoppaTIM final onwards, the number 10 shirt will have a new owner: @paulpogba. pic.twitter.com/Cw45F4uyLR
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 6, 2015
While that shirt at Old Trafford is seemingly synonymous with maverick genius, in Italy the No. 10 shirt is a hallmark of class, leadership and creativity, seen today in the likes of Antonio Di Natale at Udinese. At Roma, Francesco Totti has long carried on a tradition which evokes memories of Fiorentina’s Giancarlo Antognoni, the Milan golden boy Gianni Rivera, Sandro Mazzola of Inter and his father Valentino with the tragic Il Grande Torino.
Yet perhaps the shirt is most prestigious at Juventus, who announced on Thursday that Paul Pogba will take ownership of the number from 2015-16. It is a clear indication of the faith Juventus have in the 22-year-old Frenchman, who now inherits a heavy legacy. Not only will he now have the task of making up for the loss of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal in midfield, but does so wearing a shirt synonymous with a number of club legends.
Here, Sport360 looks at some of the iconic names who have worn the No. 10 shirt for Italian football’s grand Old Lady.
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GIOVANNI FERRARI (1930-35)
While other men pulled on the jersey before Ferrari, he was undoubtedly the man who gave birth to its legend. He joined Juventus in 1930, staying five years and helping the Bianconeri lift the Serie A title in each of those seasons. That record is yet to be broken and Ferrari enhanced his legacy by helping Italy to World Cup glory in 1934 and 1938.
He scored 35 goals in 125 appearances for the club, pulling the strings behind the strikers and becoming the first truly iconic playmaker in Juventus folklore.
OMAR SIVORI (1957-1965)
Juventus endured some barren years following the end of the 1930s and the outbreak of World War II, but as Gianni Agnelli began to construct a team that could once again dominate Italian football, he would bring the No. 10 shirt back to the forefront of conversation.
In 1957, the FIAT magnate spent heavily in order to deliver the talent his side so sorely lacked, signing Welsh legend John Charles before breaking the world transfer record to bring Omar Sivori to the club. While the former was the elegant ‘Gentle Giant’, the latter was a whirling dervish of Argentinean temper, playing with a volatility that often boiled over on the pitch.
He scored and created goals with amazing regularity however, winning three Serie A titles and finishing as the league’s top scorer in 1960. A year later he would become the first Juventus player to win the Ballon d’Or as recognition of the skill, creativity and vision he displayed throughout his time in Turin.
MICHEL PLATINI (1982-1987)
Irish legend Liam Brady deserves praise for his exploits with the Bianconeri, the former Arsenal man playing wonderfully in the Juventus No. 10 shirt before being replaced by Michel Platini. However, the Frenchman would perform incredibly, making that decision look like a masterstroke by the club’s hierarchy.
If those who went before him created the legacy, Platini would enshrine it forever, winning seven major trophies in five years and claiming the top scorer gong in Serie A three times in a row from midfield. That same period saw him lift a hat-trick of Ballon d’Or awards, prompting Gianni Agnelli to remark that although he had “bought him for a loaf of bread, he gave us foie gras!”
He would walk away on top of the game aged just 31, leaving behind an army of fans who simply called him ‘The King.’
ROBERT) BAGGIO (1990-1995)
Three years after Platini’s retirement, Roberto Baggio arrived in Turin to fill both the France international’s iconic boots and shirt. Like his predecessor, ‘The Divine Ponytail’ would spend just five years with the Bianconeri, but he created a legacy that lived on as he dazzled in black and white.
Baggio would also continue the tradition of lifting the Ballon d’Or, winning the honour in 1993 as he continually carried the Old Lady to victory. He netted 115 goals for the club in just 200 games, eventually helping her end the dominance Milan enjoyed before his arrival.
ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO (1993-2012)
Baggio’s exit coincided with the introduction of squad numbers in Serie A, meaning Alessandro Del Piero was the first man assigned the shirt on a permanent basis. It could not be more fitting, with the Italian going on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer and appearance maker and lifting no fewer than 18 major trophies in a career in Turin which spanned 19 seasons.
Beating defenders with ease in his youth and scoring incredible goals on a regular basis well in to the latter stage of his career, the decision to remain with the club following demotion to Serie B punctuated an already iron clad legacy. “A true gentleman never leaves his lady,” the captain wrote in an emotional letter to fans following the Calciopoli scandal, encapsulating their feelings and proving that he was indeed ‘one of them’.
He would leave in 2012, his final game becoming a mere side note following his substitution, Juventus Stadium ignoring the match to say a tearful farewell to a legend.
CARLOS TEVEZ (2013-2015)
The No. 10 shirt was left unassigned following Del Piero’s departure, both out of respect for his legacy and in recognition that nobody at the club truly deserved to wear it. That would end 12 months later, the arrival of Carlos Tevez seeing Juventus capture a player who could continue the tradition of its most prestigious honour, as he told reporters at his unveiling.
“I feel the responsibility of wearing this number and I am aware of the great responsibility of representing Juventus and playing for the club so this number is certainly a great challenge,” Tevez said. “Obviously I didn’t want to forget Del Piero who was the last player to wear No. 10. He is a person and player that I greatly respect and who certainly represents an emblem and symbol of esteem. It is a great pleasure and honour to wear this jersey with his number.”
While there was little danger of forgetting Del Piero, Tevez quickly ensured that any debate over his right to wear the No. 10 ended before it truly began. He scored in each of his first three appearances, going on to net 50 goals in 95 games for the club before deciding to return to Boca Juniors this summer.
