Soccer shirt numbers were once intimately associated with the position one played. To the extent that positions were authentically referred to by shirt number! This meant that a player's whole changed with each match, depending on which position was assigned to him on that particular day. The numbers 1 and 12 were commonly kept for goalkeepers, 5 for a town midfielder, 9 for a striker, 11 for a left winger and whole 10 for an attacking midfielder.
Things changed during the 1954 World Cup when Fifa laid down the rule that teams had to use a numbering system. A definite shirt whole was to be given to each player for the whole tournament. But that was then and this is now...
With the numbering principles of 1 to 11 relegated to the past, on the world stage, teams commonly stick to the numbers 1 to 23, though there are a few exceptions. And at the club level, any whole from 1 to 99 can be worn. So, you have random numbers at play - numbers that players think lucky or their favorite player's numbers worn as a mark of respect.
Players now lay claim to inescapable numbers and jealously guard them. Only players that seem worthy of persisting a legacy are allocated the much coveted numbers 7, 9 and 10. They have history to back them up and have become synonymous with soccer legends. But the biggest honor goes to the whole 10, given to the most creative playmaker on the field who scores the maximum goals. The whole 10 soccer jersey has graced the shoulders of Pele, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Zico, Lothar Matthäus, Gary Lineker, Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen, Juan Román Riquelme, Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Van der Vaart, Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Lionel Messi.
Bobby Charlton, Ian Rush, Fornando Torres and Alan Shearer are noted whole 9's. More recently, the lethal Brazilian transmit Ronaldo did full justice to the whole 9. Iconic whole 7's are David Villa, Raul Gonzalez, Franck Ribery, Luis Figo, George Best, Eric Cantona, Juanito, Amaro, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Andriy Schevchenko.
And then, of course, you've got inescapable players who adopted their own unique numbers and made them their trademark. The legend Johan Cruyff took a liking to whole 14 and wore it instead of the whole 1 that should've been assigned to him. David Beckham chose 23 and made it the most sought out for whole on the field! Recently, Ronaldinho superior whole 80 based on the year of his birth.
There's no doubt that generations to come will associate these numbers with soccer greats. They'll be worn with a sense of pride, driving each player to deliver an inspired operation that does the whole on his back proud...
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