Firstly, it helped the coaches of the teams.This numbering system was beneficial for a number of reasons. Find out more about soccer positions by checking out my Easy to Understand Guide to Soccer Positions. This clearly showed which area of the field, or position, a player was playing in.įor example, if a player was wearing the number 1, you knew they were the goalkeeper, and if they were wearing the number 9, you would know they were the center forward.īelow is a table clearly showing each number and the position on the soccer field associated with that number. Each position was assigned a number from 1 – 11. Numbers were first used to identify the different positions on the soccer field. The history of the number 10 jersey is no different from any of the other numbers worn by soccer players. Louis Vesper Buick.Įngland, the home of modern-day soccer, didn’t start wearing jerseys with numbers on until 1928. Teams in the South American country of Argentina were the next to start doing this in 1923, and the United States followed in March 1924 in a game between the Fall River Marksmen and the St.

A game played between Sydney Leichhardt and HMS Powerful is the first recorded instance of a soccer team playing with numbers on their backs. The history of using numbers on jerseys in soccer goes all the way back to Australia in 1911. To really understand the significance of the number 10 in soccer, you need to understand a bit of the history of why soccer players wear numbers in the first place. It’s also the fact that the role of a player in the position of a number 10 is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining positions to play in or to watch.īut before we look at the role of the number 10, let’s briefly look at how the number 10 came to be so important. Players such as Pele, Maradona, Messi, and so many more of the all-time greats all wore that number at the height of their careers.Īs fans from all over the world watched them perform feats that went beyond anything they had seen before, the number 10 jersey was regularly reinforced as being associated with only the best players.Īs kids throughout the world kick a ball about with their friends, they all imagine being one of these greats and wearing the number 10 jersey for their team. The prestige attached to the number 10 jersey has primarily developed from the fact that some of the greatest players in the history of soccer have accomplished their most outstanding achievements while wearing the number 10 on their backs. This means that you will sometimes hear someone refer to the number 10 during a game, but the player they are referring to will actually be wearing a different number on their back at the time.Īlthough this may seem confusing at first, once you understand what is going on, it begins to make more sense! Why the Number 10 Jersey Is Considered to Be So Significant This is the position of the attacking midfielder in a team.

The number 10 position on the field is just behind the forwards but in front of the midfielders. I often wear the number 6 on my back when on the soccer field, and have also written a guide to the number 6 position in soccerthat you can check out if you’re interested. Traditionally, these would be the numbers from 1 -11, but these days, it can be any number.

or it can refer to the position on the field that is associated with the number 10.Įach player in a soccer game is required to wear a number on the back of their jersey to identify them clearly.

the player on the soccer field who is wearing the number 10 on the back of their jersey in a specific game.

What the Number 10 in Soccer Means Where soccer numbers are positioned on a soccer fieldįor the sake of clarity and for anyone who is wondering what it means when people talk about the number 10 in soccer, let me quickly explain. Throughout this article, we’ll take a look at what it means, why it’s so significant, the history of the number 10 jersey, and some of the great soccer players who have worn this number. How and why this has come to be so meaningful is an interesting question. The number 10 jersey has been worn by some of the greatest soccer players in the history of the game. They will play just behind the forwards and are responsible for creating goal-scoring opportunities for the team.

The number 10 is given to the playmaker or attacking midfielder on a soccer team.

Some of the greatest players in history have worn this number on the back of their jerseys, and some of the greatest moments in the game have been created by a player wearing the number 10. There are few numbers in soccer that carry such significance or admiration as the number 10.

Soccer players numbers by position