A tribute to a legendary position that has mostly disappeared — but which made us fall in love with football.
In an interview with Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane spoke about classic number 10s, a role that has largely vanished in modern football. Even Messi, who could have been the perfect number 10, spent most of his career either as a false nine or a hybrid “10.5” — a player who scores over 100 goals per calendar year, a level of productivity rarely seen from traditional number 10s. He only fully embraced the pure number 10 role toward the end of his career.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the classic number 10 first appeared. Some trace it back to the 1920s, when Herbert Chapman revolutionized football with the W-M system. Others look to Argentina in the 1940s and 1950s, where the brilliant Adolfo Pedernera of River Plate operated between the lines and even impressed Alfredo Di Stefano.
The first true number 10s in the modern sense were Sandro Mazzola of Inter and Gianni Rivera of Milan. Both played deeper than the forwards but were the ones who created magic and controlled the game — “magic” being the word most often used to describe a number 10’s play.
With the rise of intense pressing football, the classic number 10 began to vanish. Visionaries like Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff reshaped the game, but the true killer of the traditional number 10 was Arrigo Sacchi, who required every player to work under constant pressure.
In modern football, some players have adapted and reinvented the role: Andrea Pirlo, David Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, and even Neymar have each put their own spin on it. Others, like Thiago Alcântara, Philippe Coutinho, and James Rodríguez, never fully realised their potential — perhaps because they were born in the wrong era. Just as these players adapt their style to modern football, fans can explore new ways to enjoy gaming as well — for example, taking advantage of the WantedWin casino no deposit bonus to discover fresh opportunities without risking anything upfront.
10. Juan Román Riquelme
Of all the Argentine number 10s of the early 2000s, only Riquelme remained true to his vision until the end. Juan Sebastián Verón lost his magic after moving to the Premier League, Pablo Aimar was plagued by injuries, but Riquelme never betrayed his principles. Europe eagerly awaited his arrival, yet when he got there, he was often misunderstood. Louis van Gaal wanted a different style, but Juan refused to compromise.
“Riquelme must change the principles of play he followed at Boca Juniors. Today, for example, he had to play ten metres to the left. He did not follow this instruction, so the team lost,” van Gaal said, but Romi thought the Dutchman simply didn’t understand football.
Riquelme never limited himself, playing instinctively, even angering the normally calm Manuel Pellegrini at Villarreal. That same year, he was named the best foreign player in La Liga, ahead of Zidane and Ronaldinho. Over his career, he provided more than 200 assists, many of them to his brilliant partner and off-field rival Martín Palermo.
9. Zico
In Europe, Zico’s greatness is sometimes questioned, as he only played for Udinese — a club never considered a serious contender. But Zico challenged Michel Platini’s Juventus with Udinese, finishing ninth while scoring 19 goals, just one less than Platini.
The Brazilian had an extraordinary feel for the game, scoring an insane number of free kicks (over 100 in his career) and performing as prolifically as Messi at his prime — at least in Brazil — all from the number 10 position. For pure, unadulterated Brazilian football, the Tele Santana-era national team featuring Zico and Sócrates remains unmatched. Many called him the “new Pelé,” and while Zico earned the nickname “the white Pelé,” the King himself said Zico came closest to his own level.
8. Dennis Bergkamp
“When someone says ‘guitarist,’ I think of Keith Richards. When they say ‘artist,’ I think of Jan Vermeer. When someone says ‘footballer,’ I think of Dennis Bergkamp,” Johan Cruyff once said.
Bergkamp was a footballing genius, but his brilliance needed a coach who understood the game as deeply as he did. He struggled in Italy, where players of his talent were highly valued, but in England, Bergkamp became an icon. The 1997/98 season revealed the Dutchman at his peak: he passed and scored as if he had hacked football itself. In August 1997, the BBC awarded the Premier League goal of the month for all three of his strikes — and that’s not even counting the legendary goal against Newcastle five years later.
7. Lothar Matthäus
German football has produced many brilliant number 10s — Günter Netzer, Bernd Schuster, Andreas Müller — but Matthäus stands out among them. Over his long career, he played in several positions, reflected in his squad numbers: 6 at Gladbach, 8 at Bayern, and 10 at Inter. At his peak, he became the perfect number 10 in Trapattoni’s championship-winning team, providing passes that helped the prolific forward Aldo Serena become Serie A’s top scorer. Matthäus also scored himself, finishing 1991 as the second-highest scorer in the league after Vialli.
At the 1990 World Cup, Matthäus seemed to glide across the pitch, becoming the top scorer for the world champions and winning the Golden Ball. He ended his career as a libero, but with his iconic number 10 still on his back.
6. Gianni Rivera
Talking about free-flowing playmakers without mentioning Gianni Rivera is like talking about hard rock and ignoring Led Zeppelin — especially since their peaks coincided.
Nereo Rocco built Milan’s game around Rivera, and the player rewarded the team with trophies. Even his eternal rival and teammate Sandro Mazzola recognised his brilliance:
"Derby. Out on our half of the field, I get the ball, stop it, dribble past my opponent, and run into attack. Rivera runs beside me. We ran 25 metres together. At some point, we looked at each other and thought: what the hell, why are we chasing the same ball? And we laughed."
Rivera’s influence was undeniable. While Mazzola played almost the entire 1970 World Cup final against Brazil, Rivera became the first Italian to receive the Golden Ball.
5. Ronaldinho
The Brazilian became the last truly great number 10 in world football. Even his compatriot Kaká was often slotted into Carlo Ancelotti’s famous “Christmas tree” formation, while Ronaldinho thrived as a free, creative playmaker. He is sometimes criticised for not having a long prime, but another factor was that the traditional number 10 role was already fading. It was hard to imagine him fitting into Guardiola’s system, and at Milan, he shone less frequently, though he still amazed with dazzling feints and moments of brilliance.
Ronaldinho’s peak between 2003 and 2006 is often considered the swan song of the number 10. During this period, Riquelme, oppressed by Van Gaal, sought to prove his worth at Villarreal. After them, all the creative geniuses wearing the number 10 had to face the harsh reality: adapt or fade away.
4. Roberto Baggio
“I understand that coaches are very important, but ultimately football depends on the players. If you face a coach who puts his system above the players, you’re fighting a losing battle, and any player who doesn’t fit the mould is considered a nuisance,” said Il Fenomeno about Arrigo Sacchi, who struggled to tolerate Baggio’s individualism.
But what mattered most was Baggio’s talent. Guardiola called him the strongest footballer he ever played alongside:
"If Baggio were still playing today, he would score 50 goals a season for my Manchester City. There’s no doubt about that. And it wouldn’t just apply to me or my club — he could do it anywhere, under any coach. Roberto was a phenomenon."
Baggio often clashed with Italy’s new-school coaches. He never found common ground with Sacchi, Capello, Lippi, and even Trapattoni left him out of the 2002 World Cup, despite national outcry. Yet he thrived under managers who appreciated his style, like Renzo Ulivieri at Bologna and Carlo Mazzone at Brescia. Later, players like Del Piero and Totti would redefine the number 10 role, becoming more systematic, but Baggio remained true to his creative instincts.
3. Zinedine Zidane
“I was one second ahead of everyone, and you were three seconds ahead!” Zizou once said to Lionel Messi. In reality, Zidane combined lightning-fast thinking, incredible technique, and the grit of Marseille street football. Even as a composed star in the World Cup final, the mischievous kid from the streets was still visible in his play.
“He was as elegant as a dancer — he even used the soles of his boots effectively. Everything came effortlessly to him; he made moves that, if I tried to replicate, I would break my legs,” said Franco Baresi.
“When Zidane stepped onto the pitch, ten other players suddenly became better. It’s that simple. It was a miracle. He was a unique player,” added Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Zidane was renowned for creating space where there was none. Even at 35, already written off by the national team, he returned for the 2006 World Cup and nearly led France to victory.
2. Michel Platini
If we were ranking the top ten, Michel Platini might sit above Zidane. By the time Zizou reached Real Madrid, he shared responsibilities with other stars. Platini, however, commanded Juventus entirely, and even the brilliant France team of 1984 — which became European champions with a midfield of stars — followed his lead. He is a three-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Setting aside his later political career, Platini represents the ideal classic number 10 of his era. He could score and assist with equal brilliance, win matches almost single-handedly, and remained a leader in every final for both Juve and the national team. There was never a moment when Platini faded from a big game.
People described him as cold and calculating, but Platini simply saw the game several steps ahead. In his autobiography, he wrote:
"I am the king of the final pass, all thanks to my vision of the game. I combined speed of execution with ease of ball control. The pace of the game is increasing, so in the future, the best players will be those who can control the ball quickly while keeping their head up to see their teammates."
1. Diego Maradona
One could recount his phenomenal performance against England at the 1986 World Cup a thousand times, remember why Diego is revered as a saint in Naples, or recall countless other feats — but when it comes to the magic of a number 10, Maradona had no equal. “What Zidane does with the ball, Maradona did with an orange,” Michel Platini once said.
Diego dribbled more than ten times per match, at a time when defenders were literally trying to tear him apart. In arguably the most competitive league in the world, he transformed a mediocre Napoli side into champions — twice.
“When you played against him, you were competing against time, because you knew sooner or later he would either score or set up a goal,” recalled Arrigo Sacchi, who studied Maradona in order to devise strategies against number 10s. Yet even he couldn’t stop him in the 1990 Serie A season, when Diego had become a pure playmaker.
The number 10 role may now be extinct, which means there will never be another Maradona.
