Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Roberto Baggio have all put in starring performances at the World Cup.What did they all have in common? They did so wearing the No 10 jersey.Historically, that shirt number has gone to the most creative player on any side, usually attacking midfielders, and sometimes even strikers. It is part of a player’s brand, an honour reserved for a special kind of footballer.For Spain, among the favourites to win this summer’s tournament in North America, there is no bigger name than Lamine Yamal. But he won’t be wearing 10 for Spain — instead, he will have the No 19 on his back, the same one he wore in the summer of 2024, when he helped his country win the European Championship in Germany.So, why does the 18-year-old, who wears that mythical number for Barcelona — most closely associated with their all-time record scorer and appearance maker Messi — not have the same privilege with La Roja?Who will wear No 10 for Spain?Spain’s No 10 this summer will be Dani Olmo, one of Yamal’s Barcelona team-mates.Olmo wears 20 at Barcelona, but with the national team there’s a simple element that places him ahead of the teenager when it comes to deciding numbers: seniority.Spain’s system to distribute their squad numbers dictates that players with the most caps choose first among the available shirt numbers.While Yamal has made 25 appearances for the national team, having made his debut in 2023, Olmo has 50 caps and wore the No 10 on his shirt even before Yamal broke into the Spain team.Dani Olmo wears Spain’s No 10 because of his seniority with the side (Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images)Does it matter?Yamal has already shown he is up to the challenge of wearing the No 10 with Barcelona. Messi’s traumatic exit from the club in summer 2021 left them with multiple issues to resolve — one of which was the question of who would inherit that shirt number while dealing with the weight of the Argentinian’s legacy.Ansu Fati, one of the brightest talents to emerge from Barca’s La Masia academy in recent years, failed: he inherited the No 10 after Messi left, but suffered multiple injuries and was unable to live up to expectations.Sources at Barca — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — believed giving Fati that shirt number was a mistake, putting too much pressure on the youngster’s shoulders.But Yamal has been a different story, taking Fati’s No 10 last summer and not looking back since. He produced the best numbers of his career this past season, scoring 24 goals and providing 17 assists in 45 games.Lamine Yamal has thrived with the No 10 shirt for Barcelona (Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Not having that shirt has not affected Yamal’s progress with the national team either.Far from being seen as a problem, this is viewed as part of the youngster’s maturing process. Everyone at Spain knows the rules, and those close to Yamal and the team unit insist there has been no grudge at all from Yamal towards Olmo.There is a case to be made that, beyond international recognition, there’s a commercial element to the shirt number that should not be ignored. Having Yamal with the No 10 on his back would surely mean higher shirt sales for Spain and their biggest star making an even more significant commercial impact.But respect between team-mates, and especially towards more veteran players, is a key mantra for national manager Luis de la Fuente and the culture on which he has built his Spain side.There is no individual too important to overrule that team spirit — not even Yamal. The teenager is accepted to be the most important player in attack for Spain and is a widely respected figure in the dressing room, but going against the seniority policy by taking a team-mate’s shirt number is simply off-limits in this side.Are there any other weird numbers for Spain?We should mention Gavi — the 21-year-old, who has mostly played as a central midfielder or even as a defensive midfielder for Barcelona this season, will wear the No 9 more commonly associated with centre-forwards.There is a story behind that: Gavi made his Spain debut in 2021, when the No 9 was the last one available when he picked.Gavi’s number may raise some eyebrows during the World Cup (Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images)His debut in the UEFA Nations League semi-final win against Italy that year was impressive, and Gavi stuck with it. He has always worn the No 9 when it has been available with the national team.Spain’s starting striker Mikel Oyarzabal (who actually started his career as a winger) has always chosen the No 21, and has decided to keep this throughout his international career.The other striker De la Fuente included in his World Cup squad, Celta Vigo’s Borja Iglesias, has fewer international caps (eight) than Gavi’s 30 — meaning he cannot take the No 9.Jun 14, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms