Squad numbers are used in association football to identify and distinguish players that are on the field. Numbers very soon became a way to also indicate position, with starting players being assigned numbers 1–11, although in the modern game they are often influenced by the players' favourite numbers and other less technical reasons, as well as using "surrogates" for a number that is already in use. However, numbers 1–11 are often still worn by players of the previously associated position.
First use of numbers in South America: Third Lanark and Argentine "Zona Norte" combined entering to the pitch with numbered jerseys, 10 June 1923
Arsenal FC wearing numbered shirts in a friendly v FC Vienna in 1933. Numbered shirts had first appeared in England in 1928 when Arsenal played Sheffield Wednesday. Their use would not be ruled mandatory until 1939
Lionel Messi displaying his squad number (10), as portrayed on his Argentina jersey in 2018
Playmaker
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In association football, a playmaker is a footballer who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativity and passing ability.
Attacking midfielder Diego Maradona (shirt number 10) right before scoring the "Goal of the Century" for Argentina against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico
Deep-lying playmaker Andrea Pirlo playing for Italy against England in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012
Luka Modrić is known for his ability to blend advanced playmaking with box-to-box play and deep-lying positioning.
Ronaldinho – pictured with Brazil at the 2008 Summer Olympics – occasionally played as an inverted winger throughout his career.