Although we currently identify the players of their shirts by the numbers, the truth is that it was not always so simple. Nor was it so important to hold a specific number as is the '10'.
The first to use numbers on their shirts were the players from England, in a game between Arsenal and Chelsea on August 25, 1928. The main reason was for the referee to identify the players more easily.
All had numbers from 1 to 11 and from 12 the substitutes were counted. The 1954 World Cup in Switzerland was the first championship of its kind in which all the players of the different teams wore a number on their shirts. And although for a long time the number was something chosen almost randomly, then some exceptions began to be made as to the player Johan Cruyff who was given number 14 because it was his favorite number and Diego Armando Maradona, who was given the number 10 .
In 1993, the rule that the numbering reached until 11 was abolished and players were allowed to carry any name they wanted written and a number between 1 and 99.
The importance of this number was born at the World Cup in Sweden in 1958, when this number was awarded to the renowned Brazilian 'Pelé'. And -as we said before-, although the distribution of the numbers was practically random ... the 10 little by little it became a significant number for the fans and for the players after the incredible plays of the Brazilian.
With the passage of time the 10 became synonymous with Pele, a player with many skills. The number began to take strength after Diego Maradona used the same number and with his moves raised the strength of 10 even more.