Here's your guide to identifying those worthy of football's most magical shirt number ? a rare, varied and splendid breed. 1. They're usually two-footed Like Zico, Cruyff, Pel? and Zidane. If a No10 isn't equally gifted with both feet, he's more likely to favour his left. Think Maradona, Mario Corso, Pusk?s, Hagi, Rivaldo. 2. Are worshipped by fans? The greatest No10s become cult heroes. So revered was Roberto Baggio that his transfer from Fiorentina caused riots; his failure to make Italy's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad prompted actors to wear t-shirts in protest; and when Giovanni Trapattoni selected him for a farewell friendly against Spain, 30,000 Genovese gave him a standing ovation. No other position has such a deep, mysterious, grip on fans' affections. 3. ?but mistrusted by coaches Alessandro Del Piero celebrated a strange kind of record last season. He came off the bench to score six goals for Juve and so equal Jos? Altafini's tally as the highest scoring substitute in a Serie A season. No player likes warming the bench, but Del Piero and Jari Litmanen, who has suffered similarly, should remember this is one of the unmistakeable signs of a great No10. If coaches played them every week, what would fans have to argue about? 4. They can turn a game "He's always able to slow a game down and then kill you." Ars?ne Wenger's verdict on Juan Rom?n Riquelme is true of the finest No10s from Pusk?s and Maradona to Rooney and Totti. They have their own party pieces ? flicks, drag-backs, dribbles, shots with minimal back-lifts, and Ronaldinho has them all ? and for the fans, these are as essential to a No10's performance as a rousing finale of Angels is to a Robbie Williams concert. 5. ?or vanish When No10s are good, they're superb. But because they become too important to the team, their bad days can leave you doubting they were even on the pitch at all. 6. They're deadly with a dead ball Ronaldinho, Del Piero, Riquelme, Baggio, Rooney et al, can guide a dead ball with a precision that would make a missile manufacturer envious. Opponents might suspect what's coming, but they're often powerless to prevent it. 7. ?score some spectacular goals At USA 94, Colombian keeper ?scar C?rdoba was slightly out of position. But slightly was enough for Romania's very own Maradona, Gheorghe Hagi, to lob him from 40 yards to score one of the most audacious goals in World Cup history. It was almost as ambitious as Maradona's slalom through England in 1986, a goal that inspired Kak?'s twist and turns through the Fenerbah?e SK defence in last season's UEFA Champions League. 8. ?but get injured a lot Litmanen, Del Piero, Baggio, Gazza, Zidane, Zico, Rooney and Totti have all suffered major damage. Cruciate knee ligaments are an occupational hazard and niggling injuries can plague their form. 9. They have more clubs than Tiger Woods For every loyal club servant like Del Piero and Totti, there are a dozen No10s whose careers can more easily be charted on a map than through the dry statistics of goals and games. Ariel Ortega (seven clubs in eight years) is the most conspicuous example. To be fair, they sometimes drift in search of inspiration, to get their mojo working, but they're often discarded by clubs who have lost patience with them. 10. ?and some fancy hairdos Like Carlos Valderrama's Ronald McDonald frizz, Baggio's pony tail, Ronaldinho's wet-look perm and bandana, Del Piero's Springsteen-like locks, G?nter Netzer's Viking-pillager-cum-1970s-rock-star blond mane, to name just a few of the, er, highlights. uefa.com
I personally think that Kaka should be AC Milan's number 10. Seedorf is great and can turn around a game but he dosen't have the same magic that Kaka has and when Seedorf has a bad day it is not noticed as much as when Kaka has a bad game.
Geatest two number tens ever= Pele: do i really need to say more Dennis Bergkamp. Greatest playmaker of all time. Bergkamp's fuckin magic He wears a magic hat And when he saw the Arsenal He said I fancy that He didn't sign for Villa Or Chelsea cause they're shite He signed for the Arsenal Cause they're fuckin dynamite. Only one Dennis Bergkamp, One Dennis Bergkamp, Going along, singing a song, Walking in a Bergkamp wonderland
