This is a ranking of the 10 best soccer players that wear number 10 in 2023. The number 10 shirt has always been one of the most iconic numbers in football. It is a symbol of creativity, flair, and a special kind of magic that only a few players can provide.
To be fair I refused to rank this player based on my analysis but left it for soccer fans’ opinion. However, here is the result of the survey I conducted:
10 Best soccer players with the number 10 ( both international and club )
- Lionel Messi
- Harry Kane
- Neymar Jr.
- Kylian Mbappé
- Luka Modrić
- Lautaró Martinez
- Ansu Fati
- Leroy Sane
- Christian Pulisic
- Marcus Rashford
Let’s get to it.
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1. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team.
He is the magical number 10 for the Argentine side, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time with lots of awards and broken records. Messi spent his entire professional career with Barcelona before joining PSG in 2021.
He has also had a successful international career, leading Argentina to victory in the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Messi is known for his prolific goal-scoring and creative playmaking abilities. He is endorsed by Adidas and has been named the world’s highest-paid footballer and athlete on several occasions.
Messi’s success can be attributed to his exceptional skill, work ethic, and dedication to the sport.
2. Harry Kane
Harry Kane is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team.
He is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world and holds the records for both Tottenham Hotspur’s and England’s all-time highest goalscorer.
Kane began his career at Tottenham Hotspur and was loaned out to several clubs before becoming a key player for Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino.
He has won lots of individual awards, including the Premier League’s Golden Boot and PFA Young Player of the Year. Kane has also represented England at all levels and has scored 55 goals in 82 appearances for the national team.
He was named England captain just before the 2018 FIFA World Cup and won the Golden Boot at the tournament, leading England to fourth place. He also led England to the runner-up position at UEFA Euro 2020, their first major final since 1966.
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3. Neymar Jr.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, also known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional football player who currently plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain wearing the number 10 and the Brazil national team.
For me, he is yet to fulfill his greatness, but he is one of the best players in the world to have ever played the game and one of the greatest Brazilian footballers of all time.
Neymar has scored over 100 goals for three different clubs, making him one of four players to achieve this feat.
He began his professional career at Santos, where he helped the club win multiple championships before moving to Barcelona, where he was part of the attacking trio MSN and won several titles.
In 2017, he transferred to PSG in a record-breaking deal and helped the club win multiple titles, including a domestic quadruple.
Neymar has also represented Brazil at various international competitions, including the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, where he won a gold medal.
Off the pitch, he is one of the most marketable athletes in the world and has been named in various influential lists, such as Time’s 100 most influential people.
4. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé is the great number 10 French forward who plays for Paris Saint-Germain. He is renowned for his exceptional speed, dribbling abilities, and finishing, and is considered one of the best players in the world.
Mbappé began his senior club career playing for Monaco in 2015, where he won the Ligue 1 title.
In 2017, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain for €180 million, making him the second-most expensive player of all time.
Mbappé has won numerous accolades, including four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de France, and the Golden Boy award in 2017.
He was also a key player in France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning team, where he became the second teenager after Pelé to score in a World Cup Final and was awarded the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player.
In 2022, Mbappé won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball and set the record for most goals scored in the World Cup finals as France reached the final.
He has been named to the FIFA FIFPro World11 three times and was among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
5. Luka Modrić
Luka Modrić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. When you talk about midfielders with the best vision and passes, then Luka is right there for you.
He is considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time and the greatest Croatian footballer ever. Modrić began his career with Dinamo Zagreb, winning three consecutive league titles and domestic cups.
He moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 and led them to their first UEFA Champions League appearance in almost 50 years.
In 2012, he joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee and helped them win five UEFA Champions League titles, three La Liga titles, and numerous other trophies.
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He has won several individual awards, including the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award, The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, and the Ballon d’Or.
Modrić has also represented Croatia in several major international tournaments, including the UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup, leading them to the final of the 2018 World Cup and winning the Golden Ball award. He has been named Croatian Footballer of the Year a record eleven times between 2007 and 2022.
6. Lautaró Martinez
Lautaro Javier Martínez is an Argentine professional football player who currently plays as a striker for Inter Milan wearing the number 10 shirt.
He is recognized as one of the best partnership strikers in the world due to his dribbling, playmaking, and finishing skills.
Martínez started his career in Argentina, where he played for Racing Club and scored 28 goals in 60 appearances across four seasons. In 2018, he joined Inter Milan, where he won the Serie A title in his third season.
Martínez also represented Argentina at various youth levels and played in the 2017 South American U-20 Championship and the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He made his senior international debut in 2018 and participated in the 2019 and 2021 Copa America tournaments, helping Argentina to a third-place finish and winning the latter. He was also part of the Argentine team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
7. Ansu Fati
Anssumane “Ansu” Fati Vieira is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is the one giving the magical number left by former Barcelona player, Lionel Messi.
Fati was born in Guinea-Bissau but chose to represent the Spain national team after gaining citizenship. He is considered one of Spain’s most exciting football talents and one of the best young players in the world.
Fati joined Barcelona’s La Masia in 2012 at age ten. On 25 August 2019, he made his first team and La Liga debut, becoming the second-youngest player to debut for the club.
On 31 August 2019, he scored his first professional goal, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Barcelona’s senior team’s history and the third-youngest scorer in the history of La Liga.
He made his Champions League debut in a 0-0 away draw against Borussia Dortmund, becoming the youngest player to feature for Barcelona in the competition and the third-youngest player ever to appear in the competition.
He is known for his impressive performances, including scoring a brace in La Liga and scoring more than one goal in the Champions League before turning 18. Fati is considered one of the most promising young talents in the world of football.
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8. Leroy Sane
Leroy Aziz Sané is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger for Bayern Munich and the German national team. He is known for his exceptional pace and dribbling ability.
He began his career at Schalke 04 before transferring to Manchester City in 2016 for an initial fee of £37 million. He helped City win the Premier League and EFL Cup and was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 2017–18.
Sané made his senior international debut for Germany in November 2015 and was part of their squad that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016.
9. Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the United States national team. The 2022/2023 seasons have not been favorable though, but he still carries the number 10.
He began his professional career at German club Borussia Dortmund and in 2019, he moved to Chelsea in a transfer worth $73 million.
With Chelsea, he won the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, 2021 UEFA Super Cup, and 2021 FIFA Club World Cup. He has played for the United States at various levels and is the youngest player ever to captain the United States national team in the modern era.
He has won several awards and is known as the “face” of American soccer.
10. Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United and the England national team.
He joined Manchester United at the age of seven and quickly rose through the youth ranks to make his first-team debut in 2016.
Rashford has since become a regular player for the club and has won several titles, including the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the FA Community Shield, and the UEFA Europa League.
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Rashford is also known for his performances on the international stage, having made his debut for the England national team in 2016.
He has represented England at two UEFA European Championships, in 2016 and 2020, and the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022.
Off the field, Rashford is a passionate campaigner against social issues such as racism, homelessness, and child hunger in the United Kingdom. He has used his platform as a footballer to raise awareness and drive change in society and has received widespread recognition for his efforts.
In particular, Rashford has been praised for his activism and philanthropy and was even the subject of a mural painted by street artist Akse in Withington. I think Rashford has been a fantastic 10 for Manchester United.
With that said;
Do you have any number 10 in mind that is not listed in the post?
Kindly comment with your opinion and state why he deserves to be on the list
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.