In the world of football, the number 10 is always special.

In fact, not infrequently they are feared by

opponents because of their significant role.

Unfortunately, in the modern world of football, the number 10 player seems to be slowly being eroded
by the times. Whereas in the past, this number 10 player also had an important role in attacking. So,
what really makes player number 10 seem extinct over time?

Travel History “The Classic Number 10”

Let's start with the history first. The number 10 is quite an interesting player in the history of football.
The beginning of the introduction of the term number 10 was in the 80s when Carlos Bilardo's Argentina
installed the "Hand of God" Diego Maradona in that role at the 1986 World Cup championship in
Mexico.

He, who wore the number 10 jersey, managed to enchant the audience with a slick performance with
Argentina. Because of that, finally Maradona was able to bring the Albiceleste out as champions in the
four-year event.

After entering the era of the 90s to the early 2000s, the number 10 player became increasingly popular,
especially in Italy's highest competition, Serie A. Famous names such as Roberto Baggio, Zinedine
Zidane, Del Piero, and also Totti are examples.

Trequartista, so the connoisseurs of the Italian Serie A competition call it. If you are an old Serie A
audience, you are certainly no stranger to this term.

Literally trequartista means three-quarters. This means that a player called a trequartista is in three-
quarters of the pitch when measured on the goal line, between the midfielders and the attackers.

Trequartistapinned to players who have skills and vision to play above average. Not infrequently they
also have the instinct to score goals if needed. So it's only natural that they are greatly admired by the
Italian football world.

However, "The Classic Number 10" in Italy began to erode when it entered the middle of the 2012
season. At that time Del Piero decided to leave the competition that made his name and chose to play in
the Australian League with Sydney FC.

After that era, the number of typical number 10 players began to decrease considerably. This event is
also a sign that the true number 10 player is starting to be used, and his heyday is starting to run out.

Changed Game Patterns

Along with the rapid development of the game of football, the true number 10 players began to be
excluded. Especially now that modern football is played at a very high tempo, relying on fast ball
movements, and the pattern of games with high pressings seems to never be separated from football. In
stark contrast to the old football which tends to play a slower tempo than modern football.
The number 10 has historically been a slow player, and as such he needed the support of his stronger
teammates. The number 10 is sometimes engrossed in his own world, holding the ball a little to make
room for other players.

In modern football all players are also required to have good passing techniques. Even to help attack, a
modern goalkeeper must be able to have the ability to pass as well as other positioned players. This is
evidenced by the presence of goalkeepers who are good at playing the ball like Ederson at Manchester
City, and Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich.

So the matter of supplying the ball to the front lines is no longer the task of player number 10 alone, but
has become the task of all team members.

Evolve or Be Knocked Out

Entering the era of modern football, the number 10 player inevitably has to adapt the scheme of the
modern football game, so that the pure number 10 player must be good at adapting in order to save
their football career.

In the modern era of football the position of the number 10 player began to evolve according to the
abilities and playing schemes of the club, as demonstrated by Mesut Ozil at Real Madrid. He prefers to
play sideways to launch a cut-back or directly send a cross to the Real Madrid front line. The new
position of player number 10 can be called "The Outright Assister".

Another case is done by Dele Alli. He is a pure attacking midfielder by nature, but at Tottenham he tends
to have ambiguity in his style of play, as he is often positioned slightly forward almost parallel to the
striker.

There is also the figure of Andrea Pirlo, after he was brought in by Milan from his eternal rival Inter. He
was transformed from being a number 10 midfielder to being a defensive midfielder or so-called
defensive midfielder. The position that replaces the role of the number 10 in modern football.

Of course there are players who don't evolve, but the risk is that their careers go downhill. We can see
this phenomenon from the figure of James Rodriguez. James is one of the best number ten midfielders
from the Americas. This player was on the rise when performing well with Colombia at the 2014 World
Cup in Brazil, which eventually brought him to Real Madrid.

James Rodriguez was a brilliant trequartista at Real Madrid during Carlo Ancelotti's coaching era in the
2014/2015 season. In fact, he was able to win the title of best midfielder in La Liga that season, with 14
goals and 15 assists.

After Ancelotti's departure from Madrid, he briefly played in the mid-level team of Everton following in
the footsteps of the coach, Carlo Ancelotti. Ironically, Ancelotti was not long in England. James did not
enter the game scheme when the coaching chair changed to Rafa Benitez. Rafa often relies on the
typical number 8 midfielder like Allen and Doucoure, rather than Trequartista like him.
Now, his career is fading and he is stranded in Qatar with the Al Rayyan club.

Positions That Are No Longer Preferred

Modern football with its new formation causes the role of the number 10 midfielder to be less ogled by
the tacticians. They started to rely on a box-to-box-type midfielder, who moved up and down for 90
minutes, with a high work ethic and stamina.

The number 10 player who is identical with his laziness in defending matters makes them no longer
privileged.

Top managers of the caliber of Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte prefer box-to-box
hardworking midfielders who can be counted on to attack and defend equally well.

A midfielder with a box-to-box midfield role usually has excellent abilities in terms of playing stamina,
controlling the ball, tackling, and shooting at goal.

The hallmark of a box-to-box midfielder is that he has a good transition from defense to attack. He will
try to grab the ball and quickly get involved in building a counter-attack.

Such is the fate of the "Classic Number 10" in modern football. Indeed, the number 10 position still
exists in today's football. However, the role evolved a bit according to the needs of their team.

For the number 10 player who doesn't want to adapt, just wait for the time to be eroded by the fast
development of modern football. Because in the end they will be replaced by hard-working midfielders
who can be relied on in various conditions.