Ahead of the Supercoppa Italiana in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico to kick off the competitive campaigns for both Juventus FC and S.S. Lazio, Juventus was graceful enough to give Paulo Dybala the prestigious number 10 shirt. The number 10 shirt means a lot to a soccer player. That number carries weight and comes with a level of responsibility. It commands respect and many of the greatest players of all time have worn that shirt. Some legendary number 10s include Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane for France, Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Michel Platini, Lionel Messi and Roberto Baggio. The shirt is often given to one of the most important players on the team and often a leader or even captain. The shirt is legendary in the hearts and minds of soccer players and fans everywhere. Nearly every team has a great number 10 in their current squad or sometime in the past.
Juventus have been fortunate enough to have a plethora of world class number 10s in their 120 year history. Many greats have sported the hallowed shirt over the years with pride and honor. Some have disrespected it or not lived up to the standards and demands of it. In 2013, Carlos Tevez was given the number 10 shirt upon his arrival at Juventus following the retirement of Alessandro Del Piero. He played two excellent seasons in the black and white stripes before a surprise return to Boca Juniors in Argentina. Tevez was given the number 10 and acquitted himself very well during his time at Juve but it was not completely acceptable to leave so quickly the way he did. He left without leaving everything on the field for the shirt. That is what a true number 10 does, and I do not believe that he can be considered a true number 10. Tevez spurned the Bianconeri for a comfortable return to his homeland. This was not a hero’s departure.
Paul Pogba, then a rising youngster with Juventus was quickly shooting up the charts on the list of the world’s top players. Pogba was entrusted with the number 10 shirt in 2015 when Tevez left and seemed to regress under the pressure. Even before he traded in his original number 6 shirt, he had constant transfer rumors swirling around his head and a lot more responsibility in the team. The media was a constant distraction and the neverending saga of rumors seemed to take away from Pogba’s individual play and also dragged the team with them. In the summer of that year, Pogba left for Manchester United, his boyhood club, who he had said he would never rejoin for the hefty price of 100 Million Euro. Pogba’s departure burned Juventus. They gave him the most important number on the field and he left. The number ten is supposed to be counted on as a leader and should have some level of devotion to the club.
Paulo Dybala, referred to often as “la Joya” or “the jewel” in his native spanish, has already been the subject of transfer rumors because of his talent level. He was heavily sought after by Real Madrid and Barcelona among a long list of others during this past summer. Dybala is often labelled the “next Messi” due to their shared Argentine nationality and immense skill. Dybala came to Juventus two years ago after a breakout campaign in Italy with Palermo. He wore the number 21 as a tribute to his age and fellow Bianconeri star Andrea Pirlo who had just departed for New York City FC in the MLS. Last year, Juve went without a number 10 for the first time in a number of years. They showed how much they valued the number by waiting until someone had earned it. Dybala showed his quality last year and was rewarded with the honor.
In the awful cesspool that is the transfer market, Juventus will have to fend off many suitors for Dybala’s signature. Hopefully, Dybala will exhibit the level of loyalty that is expected of a number 10. Juventus have not had a true number 10 since Del Piero retired. Maybe Dybala is the rightful heir to Del Piero’s throne. But, the true quality of a number 10 comes from the heart. A devotion to the team and the fans and the desire to take the team to the promised land. Juventus fans hope that Dybala is that player who can put the team on his back and carry them to glory. He has the talent level of a superstar, but that must be supplemented with the desire to be a Juventus player and wear the Bianconeri with the same pride that comes with a national team shirt. To be a true number 10, the black and white stripes of Juventus will have to be part of his identity. Dybala could be the player that fills the role of the legendary Del Piero that was vacated 5 years ago but he will have to show dedication, maturity, and stand the test of time.
