Barca’s No. 10 shirt has a colorful and varied history, spanning from early legends like Laszlo Kubala to greats like Maradona and Messi.
The number 10 and Barcelona. It has been a match made in heaven from the beginning. Some of the greatest players in history have worn the No. 10 at Camp Nou, but the Catalans’ obsession with the shirt number peaked in recent years with Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.
The list, which includes Kubala, Maradona, Guardiola, and Romario, only pays homage to the best players in Spanish football.
Why the Barcelona No. 10 is so iconic? Explained
Initial years
Kubala, Suarez, and Evaristo In 1947, Spanish football saw the introduction of squad numbers, which made their debut in a Madrid derby between Real and Atletico. At first, players were not given numbers. On any particular matchday, they were often assigned a position on the field, numbered 1–11. Although the Argentine midfielder Florencio may have been the first player to consistently wear the number 10, Laszlo Kubala of Hungary was the first real club great to do so. After escaping Hungary and sneaking over the Iron Curtain as a Russian soldier, Kubala reached Spain in 1950 as a refugee.
After the Hungarian Football Federation accused him of breaching his contract, Kubala was banned by FIFA. He was courted by Barcelona and Real Madrid, but he couldn’t participate in a competitive match until the following year. Kubala was instrumental in the club’s expansion in the 1950s and won four Spanish championships and five Copas del Generalisimo when he was a member. In addition to scoring 281 goals in 357 games from 1950 to 1961, he helped the team sign Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Czibor, two more Hungarians who would go on to become renowned players at Barcelona. Later teammates of Kubala included Brazilian attacker Evaristo and Spanish midfielder Luis Suarez, who would both become club legends and wear the No. 10 shirt.
Romario, Stoichkov, and Maradona in the 1980s and 1990s
As the 1960s and 1970s progressed, the No. 10 changed hands from player to player. The incumbents, including Hugo Sotil, Juan Manuel Asensi, Fernand Goyvaerts, and Ramon Villaverde, were all unable to match their predecessors’ star power. Right up until Diego Maradona, that is. He came for a record-breaking £5 million following the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and it was clear that he was a genius. His tenure at the club was not always smooth, although he went on to win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
After a spectacular Clasico performance in 1983, he was praised by Real Madrid supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, after only two seasons, he requested a move due to disagreements with Barca club officials, which were made worse by a violent altercation with Miguel Sola of Athletic Bilbao in the cup final. After scoring 38 goals in 58 games for the team, he left for Napoli in the summer of 1984, earning Barca again another record-breaking amount.
The No. 10 took the next logical step after Maradona onto Steve Archibald’s back, crossing to Robert Fernandez before coming across Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola, a deep-lying midfielder, didn’t have the number for long, ultimately settling for the No. 4, but he deserves recognition because of his role in the club’s history. During the 1993–94 season, Hristo Stoichkov was another famous, but short-lived, wearer of the No. 10 shirt.
The flaming Bulgarian won numerous titles at Barcelona that season, including a league and Spanish Supercopa double. Although he spent the majority of his tenure in Catalonia wearing the No. 8 shirt, Stoichkov recorded five league titles, Barca’s first European Cup in 1992, and 162 goals in 341 appearances. Irrepressible striking partner Romario, who scored 53 goals in 84 games during his two seasons at the club, was a more frequent presence in the No. 10.
Romario was voted FIFA World Player of the Year in 1994, the same year that he was a member of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” that advanced to the Champions League final. However, his spectacular performances were short-lived, as he resigned in January 1995 following a disagreement with Cruyff and returned to Brazil with Flamengo. At Barcelona, flawed genius would soon become a recurring motif on the No. 10 shirt.
Modern times Messi, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo
The 2000–01 season, which turned out to be the most productive of an extraordinary tenure, saw Rivaldo shift from No. 11 to No. 10 after three years with the team. He scored 130 goals in 235 games throughout his five seasons with the team, including 36 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions.
Ronaldinho introduced a completely new style of football to the world when he moved from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003.
The championships, the bicycle kicks, the tricks, the flicks, the standing ovation at the Bernabeu, and that toothy smile—until someone better showed up, Ronaldinho was the best player many had ever seen and the ultimate Brazilian No. 10.
It wasn’t always Lionel Messi who wore 10. He made his debut at No. 30 as a teenager and then spent two seasons in No. 19. When Guardiola took over as first team manager in 2008–09, Messi wore the No. 10 shirt. Messi was the greatest player in the world and, eventually, the greatest of all time.
Although it will be braver than most, Lamine Yamal taking the No. 10 shirt when Ansu Fati and Messi are gone may have a freeing effect due to the sheer difficulty of matching him.
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