Lionel Messi is the player who wore the number 10 shirt of the Argentine national team the most times. He did it 122 times. But never at the iconic Wembley Stadium. Of the three times that he played with the national team in England, one was in the city of London but in Upton Park and the other two in Manchester. On Wednesday, against Italy, it will be the first time with the 10 at Wembley, scenario in which only 6 players used the 10 of Argentina in history. In addition to Diego Maradona, of course, Angel Amadeo Labruna, Antonio Rattín, Carlos Squeo, Germán Martellotto and Ariel Ortega also wore that number.
There was a time when soccer players were not identified by a number on their back. Neither in the Amsterdam Olympic Games, nor in the 1930 and 1934 World Cups, nor in the South American tournaments until 1955. Nor in the First Division tournament. It was only in June 1949, after the AFA hired English referees, that it began to be used.
The first to use the 10 against another National Team was Angelito Labruna, against Paraguay, in the Chevallier Boutell Cup matches, on March 25 and 29, 1950. When the numbers were implemented, most of the formations were recited with the old tactical scheme of the method (2-3-5), although the WM reigned (3-2-2-3). So, the backs used 2 and 3, the halfs 4, 5 and 6; and forwards 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Angelito played inside left. That is why he always wore number 10, in River and in the National Team.
Angel Labruna with the National Team jersey, at Wembley and number 10 on his back.
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The third official match with numbers on the shirt was on May 9, 1951, against England at Wembley. Argentina won 1-0 with a goal from Mario Boyé after a cross from Labruna. They then lost 2-1, despite the extraordinary performance of Velez goalkeeper Miguel Rugilo. In the images from English television shown in the following tweet, you can clearly see the 10 on the back of the top scorer in Argentine soccer.
Argentina vs England goal (1951)
Good counterattack play that culminates in Boyé’s header on the run. They intervene: Labruna, who yields to Loustau. Pass by elevation to Bravo (or Méndez may be capable), first for Labruna who runs parallel to the area and throws the center. pic.twitter.com/tVYzHhfYs8
– Julio Argüelles (@GardelianShit) May 4, 2022
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The second time that Argentina played at Wembley was in the 1966 World Cup, when it was eliminated in the quarterfinals against the local and future champion (0-1 on July 23), the day of the controversial expulsion of Antonio Rattín, which was a 5 but had a 10 on its back. Why? The list and the subsequent numbering respected the lines: the archers carried used 1, 2 and 3; defenders from 4 to 9, midfielders from 10 to 15 and forwards from 16 to 22. That’s why Ermindo Onega, who was number 10 on the team, wore number 20.
In the preview of the World Cup in England in 1966, El Gráfico identified 10 with Ermindo Onega and not with Antonio Rattín.
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Argentina faced England again at Wembley in advance of the 1974 World Cup played in Germany. In the previous tour, on May 22, they lost 2-0 but managed to overcome the situation and equalized 2-2 with two goals from Mario Alberto Kempes. The coach was Vladislao Cap but it was a reinforced triumvirate with Víctor Rodríguez and Vladislao Cap. The National Team played with a classic 4-3-3 and the midfielder on the left (no longer as advanced as in Labruna’s time) continued to use the 10. That place was occupied by Carlos Squeo, then Racing player.
Diego Maradona was the undisputed owner of number 10 for almost two decades. In his third game with the light blue and white and six months after his debut, on August 31, 1977 in a 2-0 loss to Paraguay, he wore it for the first time. On May 13, 1980, he played his tenth game for the National Team and it was against England at Wembley.. Argentina lost 3-1, but Diego made an unforgettable play, which after eluding four rivals was not a goal by chance. He improved it six years later at the Azteca in Mexico.
🤷🏻ADDED🤷🏻
⚽️England 3-1 Argentina
🏆Friendly
Diego Armando Maradona
🗓️ May 13, 1980
🏟️Old WembleyEpic play by “Diego”, but the wind did not want the capricious to enter. Still, she would get even 6 years later.pic.twitter.com/Rka7lo6W80
— 𝙊𝙢𝙖𝙧 𝘽𝙎 (@OmarBS_) December 1, 2021
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Germán Martellotto played just one official match in the National Team: it was at Wembley against England and he wore the number 10. He was playing in Monterrey and Coco Alfio Basile called him up for the friendly against the United States and for the Stanley Rous Cup triangular match, in which the Soviet Union also participated. It was on May 25 and they tied 2-2, with goals from Claudio García and Darío Franco. Martellotto played 60 minutes. It was debut and farewell.
Germán Martellotto, with the 10 on his back and at Wembley, heads in front of David Platt’s mark.
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During the World Cup in France 98, in the city of London there was a giant poster of a sports brand with the image of Ariel Ortega. “Remember the hand off god. Here’s the rest of him ”, affirmed the gigantography. Something like: “Remember the Hand of God. It’s what’s left of him.” El Burrito was Diego’s heir. Two years later, Jujuy was the last Argentine player to wear the 10 at Wembley. On February 23, 2000, when the team then led by Marcelo Bielsa tied 0-0.
Ariel Ortega, in 1998, was considered the heir to Diego Maradona.
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Argentina played again in London on September 3, 2006, at the start of Basile’s second cycle, against Brazil (0-3). But he did it at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Lionel Messi used number 19. It was only on March 28, 2009, when the National Team thrashed Venezuela 4-0 for the South American Qualifiers for South Africa 2010, that they took possession of the 10. The technician was Diego.
The next match in London, on November 12, 2014 against Croatia (2-1), with Leo as starter and captain, was played at Upton Park, West Ham’s venue. The next two in Manchester, with the presence of Messi in the first, on November 18, 2014 against Portugal (0-1). In the run-up to Russia 2018, when the team then led by Jorge Sampaoli beat Italy 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium, Messi was injured.
This Wednesday, In match number 123 with the Argentina 10 jersey, Messi will play for the first time with the mythical Argentina 10 at Wembley.
