FIFA World Cup and its Perfect 10s!
The greatest of performances in the FIFA World Cup have come from those who have graced the famous No.10 jersey, with Brazil's Neymar, Argentina's Lionel Messi and the new Maradona in the making, James Rodriguez, to name only a few.
The number 10 in sport has always denoted something that is out of the ordinary, referring to an almost rare expertise of a player that can lift any team out of its miseries and help it reach success it has never tasted before. The same number 10 has also generated some epic moments in football, adorned by some of the greatest ever to play the game.
From Zinedine Zidane or Ronaldinho to Michel Platini and the great Diego Maradona, these No.10 players have always been those who can change games in the blink of an eye. Moving forward like skaters in an ice rink, they can create space when there is none and score goals from angles, which don't exist in the mind of a usual football fan. These players are the ones who make headlines and become instant favourites among people wherever they go.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup has not been an exception. The greatest of performances this year have come from those who have graced the famous No.10 jersey, with Brazil's Neymar, Lionel Messi for Argentina and the new Maradona in the making in Colombia's James Rodriguez to name only a few.
In fact, the traditional centre forwards have been the ones who have struggled most in Brazil with special No.10 strikers having a field day every time they step on the ground. However, this has also raised a pertinent question in the minds of every football enthusiast. Where has the conventional forward disappeared?
Let's take a look at five of the most highly rated No.10 players before this World Cup and what good or bad they have done to their teams when the crucial moment arrived. We will also later take a look at the five all-time No.10 greats and debate why they have been so talked about in the history of football.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
While Lionel Messi has been the one player that many say has carried Argentina single-handedly to the final, his good form is also a sign that the South Americans are putting too much on one man's shoulder. Other strikers like Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain have failed to shine under Messi's light. Although Higuain did do his team some favours by scoring the only goal in Argentina's 1-0 quarterfinal win over Belgium, the team has had too much dependence on Messi. The No. 10 Messi has scored four times already this World Cup and also grabbed headlines with the one assist to Angel di Maria that took Argentina into the quarters in their Round of 16 match vs Switzerland. (Also read: Messi on target to match Maradona)
James Rodriguez (Colombia)
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Now this is the guy that everyone has been talking about. James Rodriguez has no doubt been the best player so far this year and with six goals already to his name, the leading contender for the Golden Boot. This is the first time Rodriguez has played in a World Cup and the fact that he is just 22 years old makes him the next big thing in the world of soccer. When an opposition manager in the form of Oscar Tabarez can call you 'the best player in the World Cup' with stars like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the same tournament, things look bright for you son!
Karim Benzema (France)
Karim Benzema looked great for France before the knockout stages as he scored three goals inside three matches but then Benzema couldn't carry that form into the crucial quarterfinal match vs Germany, where it was required most. Many football pundits argue that Benzema is not a 'traditional' number 10 but more of a nine-and-a-half as he always plays behind the nine, without a genuine nine-10 partnership in place. The reason for this is that everyone wants to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, with just one striker and this is never naturally suited to the number 10 style of play. The place where Benzema has more of a say is definitely Real Madrid where he also gets to score a lot of goals with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo acting as the provider. (Also read: Bittersweet World Cup exit for James Rodriguez)
Neymar (Brazil)
Even before the start of the FIFA World Cup this year, Brazil's Neymar was being treated as the poster boy of the event and he lived up to all the hype that was being associated with his name. However, when he injured his vertebrae after Colombia's Juan Zuniga kneed his back, he exposed Brazil's over-dependence on Neymar. Brazil's humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinal was the worst thing that ever happened to the host nation and many said it was because Brazil were still down with the shock of losing Neymar, despite him only playing in the attacking position. Neymar scored four times for Brazil in the World Cup and for a 22-year-old player the composure he showed in tough times was legendary. He was enjoying all the attention given to him by the press and fans in Brazil and playing even better. (Also read: Neymar off to Kerela for Ayurveda treatment?)
Wayne Rooney (England)
Wayne Rooney did manage to finally score in a World Cup for England and was successful in creating a number of chances for his team at the crucial No.10 position. However, he will still have to deal with some media criticism after England could not even qualify for the knockout stages this year in a disastrous campaign. In fact, very few people in England itself had hope of them reaching the Last 16 and the nation clearly had a lot of problems while looking to dominate in a group termed group of death with the likes of Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy around. Let's hope Rooney can shine the next time England qualify in the World Cup because a rare talent like him should never go waste! (Also read: Rooney apologizes for shoddy England performance on Facebook)
The Not-so-famous No.10s
Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria)
Some enthusiasts of the FIFA World Cup might not know who Algeria's Sofiane Feghouli is but he was someone who opposition players were definitely afraid of coming into matches. Feghouli performed exceedingly well in Algeria's historic 2014 campaign as they reached the knockout stages for the first time in the history of the event, losing to Germany in the last-16.
Andre Ayew (Ghana)
Ghana's Andrew Ayew is someone who likes to operate with a lot of space under his striking radar and this year, he scored twice for the Africans, showing the whole world what he could do with the ball.
Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
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The solo effort goal with which Gervinho scored for Ivory Coast in a group game against Colombia is still being counted as one of the best this World Cup. Although Ivory Coast could not make it to the knockout stages, Gervinho showed how good he can be even at the big level of the FIFA World Cup.
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
Wesley Sneijder lived up to his fame in the 2014 World Cup and his 88th-minute equaliser in the game against Mexico that helped Netherlands crawl back and make the quarterfinals showed how well he can strike the ball.
Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica)
Costa Rica's Bryan Ruiz scored three goals and made three assists in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and it was his goal that sent three-time champions Italy home right after the group stages this year.
Five Timeless Greats Who Have Adorned the No.10 Jersey
Johann Cruyff (Holland)
Johan Cruyff was one of the early pioneers of the 'tiki taka' style of football that Barcelona are known for and he took the same technique into the Dutch national side as well. The greatest thing about Cruyff was that he could play at either No.10 or No.9 and there were very few creative geniuses like him who could score goals from almost anywhere as him. He inspired generations of great footballers and Arsenal's Denis Bergkamp was probably the next best No.10 Dutch player to have had a similar level of creativity in the attacking position.
Diego Maradona (Argentina)
© Reuters
Maradona, as many would argue, was next only to Pele when we talk of the best No.10 footballers in history but then his association with drugs and an instance of blatant cheating in a World Cup match against England led many to relegate him to a lower spot. The sport of football with countless young aspirants may need better idols to follow but there is no doubt that Maradona was one of the most gifted footballers to have ever graced the game. For the same reason, Maradona is considered an even better player, than Lionel Messi by most football pundits.
Michel Platini (France)
Although Zinedine Zidane was the star player who led France to their 1998 World Cup triumph and the European Championships in 2000 and therefore probably a bit more famous, No.10 Michel Platini was no less than a legend with a record of scoring 224 goals in 432 club games and 41 in 72 internationals played for France. Unfortunately for him, the French national team in which Platini played wasn't as successful as that of Zidane. Platini is currently UEFA President and was one of the best free-kick specialists and finishers in the world.
Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
The reason why many in the world don't rate Ferenc Puskas as the best No.10 ever to play football is that he played at a time when there was either very little or no recording of the game. Plus, the ball used at that time was so heavy that it could be used as a weapon when wet. Puskas was someone who had a bigger bag of tricks than any other footballer you would come across even today. He could do step-overs, come up with unbelievable back-heels and all sorts of stuff. Puskas finished his career when he was 39 and played at the big level for almost 23 years. He was part of the Hungarian side that humiliated England in 1953, which was a game-changing moment in the history of football. Hungary won 6-3.
Pele (Brazil)
Edison Arantes do Nascimento or Pele is almost always voted the greatest footballer that ever lived and of course, the greatest to adorn the No.10 jersey. Even other Brazilian greats like Zico or Ronaldinho were no match for him. The best thing about Pele was that he never left his home club Santos or Brazil until his late 40s when he left to play for US club New York Cosmos.
With a scoring record of 589 goals in 605 games for Santos and 77 in 92 matches for Brazil, Pele was and still is one of the most revered footballers in the world.
Pele first played in the 1958 World Cup when he was just 17 and won three titles with Brazil. The most interesting story about Pele in this context, however, is that he won the No.10 shirt by pure accident. Brazil, as a footballing nation, had forgotten giving shirt numbers, and FIFA did it for Pele, nominating him as the No.10, the greatest of all time.