What is the most iconic player-jersey number combination in football history?

From sweeper kings and world-beating number 10s to goalkeepers who owned the 1, this roster spans continents, decades, and debates over who truly made their jersey number immortal. Cast your vote!

Pele #10

Brazilian legend who wore #10 for Santos and Brazil, winning three World Cups and making the number synonymous with football genius.

1/23

Diego Maradona #10

Argentine icon whose #10 at Napoli and for Argentina defined the 1980s and the very notion of the playmaker.

2/23

Johan Cruyff #14

Dutch innovator who chose #14 at Ajax, making it football's most famous non-traditional number and retired in his honor at Ajax.

3/23

Thierry Henry #14

French striker and Arsenal's all-time top scorer whose #14 became a Highbury and Emirates icon during the Invincibles era.

4/23

Paolo Maldini #3

AC Milan left-back who wore #3 for 25 years; the club retired the number with an option for his sons to reclaim it.

5/23

Lionel Messi #10

Argentine superstar who inherited Ronaldinho's #10 at Barcelona and wore it through four Ballon d'Ors and a 2022 World Cup win.

6/23

Cristiano Ronaldo #7

Portuguese forward whose #7 at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and for Portugal turned the number into a global brand (CR7).

7/23

David Beckham #7

English midfielder whose right foot and #7 at Manchester United defined an era before he inherited #23 at Real Madrid.

8/23

George Best #7

Northern Irish genius whose #7 at 1960s Manchester United set the template for every United #7 that followed.

9/23

Eric Cantona #7

French maverick whose collar-up #7 at Manchester United bridged the Best/Robson era to the Beckham/Ronaldo era.

10/23

Zinedine Zidane #10

French playmaker whose #10 for Les Bleus at France 98 and Euro 2000 stood beside his #5 at Real Madrid as the artist's number.

11/23

Ronaldinho #10

Brazilian magician whose smiling #10 at Barcelona in the mid-2000s rebuilt the club and paved the way for Messi.

12/23

Ronaldo Nazario #9

Brazilian striker known as 'R9' whose #9 at Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid and Brazil defined the modern center-forward.

13/23

Marco van Basten #9

Dutch striker whose #9 at AC Milan and for the Netherlands produced the 1988 Euro volley and three Ballon d'Ors.

14/23

Gianluigi Buffon #1

Italian goalkeeper whose #1 at Juventus and for Italy spanned three decades and a 2006 World Cup triumph.

15/23

Franz Beckenbauer #5

German sweeper 'Der Kaiser' whose #5 at Bayern Munich redefined the libero role and lifted the 1974 World Cup.

16/23

Bobby Moore #6

England captain whose composed #6 lifted the 1966 World Cup at Wembley and made him West Ham's eternal icon.

17/23

Franco Baresi #6

AC Milan captain whose #6 anchored Arrigo Sacchi's Milan and was retired by the club after his 1997 farewell.

18/23

Michel Platini #10

French playmaker whose #10 at Juventus and for France won three consecutive Ballon d'Ors and the 1984 Euros.

19/23

Roberto Baggio #10

Italian 'Divine Ponytail' whose melancholy #10 at Juventus, Milan and for Italy peaked — and heartbroke — at USA 94.

20/23

Steven Gerrard #8

Liverpool captain whose #8 delivered the 2005 Istanbul Champions League final and a generation of Kop memories.

21/23

Andres Iniesta #8

Barcelona midfielder whose #8 scored the winner in the 2010 World Cup final and anchored Spain's tiki-taka dynasty.

22/23

Andrea Pirlo #21

Italian regista whose #21 at Milan, Juventus and for Italy turned deep-lying playmaking into an art form.

23/23