The number 10 and the history of shirt numbers at the World Cup
Shirt numbers debuted in 1950 and became fixed in 1954. Over time, the «10» became tied to the geniuses: Pelé, Maradona, Zidane, Messi.
Today a footballer without a shirt number seems unthinkable, but numbers were slow to arrive at World Cups. They debuted at the 1950 World Cup and, from 1954, each player wore a fixed number (1 to 22) throughout the tournament.
Over the years, certain numbers took on special meaning. None like the «10», associated with the team's creative brain, the player able to decide a match with a flash of genius.
Legend has it that Pelé received the 10 in 1958 almost by chance, through an administrative slip in assigning numbers. With that shirt, Brazil won three World Cups and the myth was sealed.
Then came other owners of the 10: Diego Maradona wore it for Argentina in 1986; Zinedine Zidane for the France that won in 1998; and Lionel Messi inherited the number — handed to him by Maradona himself as national coach — to finally lift the Cup in 2022.
One curious fact closes the story: names on the back were not compulsory until the 1994 World Cup. Before that, only the number identified each player. And among them all, the 10 remains the shirt of dreams.
Source: Wikipedia (Squad number; Name (sports); Pelé).