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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>History of Football
<SPAN class=art-title2>Magic numbers</SPAN> <TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=5 width=150 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
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<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>The No10 jersey is considered a badge of honour in many South American countries, none more so than Argentina, where Diego Maradona's legacy has seen the number retired at all competitions aside from the FIFA World Cup.
</SPAN><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(AFP)</SPAN> <SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>ODD ANDERSEN
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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">16 Mar 2007</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>Paying homage to sporting heroes has long been a serious business in North America, where every team has a Hall of Fame to honour players who have left an indelible mark.
These history-makers took their clubs to fresh heights, and in exchange their squad numbers have been retired from service. It is a fitting tribute not bestowed lightly, but one fully deserved by talents such as former NBA star Michael Jordan and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky. Never again will a Chicago Bulls player take to the court with 23 on his back, and never again will the Edmonton Oilers hand out a jersey emblazoned with the number 99.
In recent years, football has followed suit. This was impossible back in the days when teams wore shirts numbered from one to 11, but, since squad numbers were attributed to every player at the start of the season in the 1990s, the tradition has taken hold. With the practice growing, FIFA.com takes a look at some of the numbers that have been preserved for posterity.
Loyalty to the colours has always been a sure-fire way to acquire hero status, and in Italy several stalwarts have seen their loyalty rewarded with the ultimate tribute. Emblematic defender Franco Baresi is one of those, having formed a career-long association with AC Milan, where he spent 20 memorable years. Upon his retirement in 1997, the Rossoneri showed their appreciation by withdrawing Baresi's number six shirt from circulation.
They will be performing a similar ceremony in a few months' time as well, when Baresi's successor as captain finally calls time on his playing days. Paolo Maldinihas won every title under the sun during his time with the Lombardy giants and, possibly more than any other player, has come to symbolise AC Milan. "Paolo represents the history of the club," declared vice-President Adriano Galliani in January 2005. "When he finishes his career, we will retire his shirt." Unsurprisingly, the man himself admits to being touched by the gesture. "I'm really very happy and secretly I was hoping for it," he said. "The club have always been very good and respectful towards me." Having announced he will retire at the end of the current campaign, anyone hoping to see Maldini's iconic number three shirt should hurry to the San Siro fast.
Across the city at rivals Inter, Giacinto Facchetti is the only player to have been accorded the same honour. Another number three, the gifted full-back sadly passed away on 9 September last year, but not before making an enormous impact with both the Nerazzuri and the Italian national side. He graced Inter's colours 634 times between 1961 and 1978, winning four scudetti and two European Champion Clubs' Cups, while with the Azzurri he lifted the continental trophy in 1968 and finished runner-up at the 1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico™. "Giaci
<SPAN class=art-title2>Magic numbers</SPAN> <TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=5 width=150 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=paddingall><TD vAlign=top>
<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>The No10 jersey is considered a badge of honour in many South American countries, none more so than Argentina, where Diego Maradona's legacy has seen the number retired at all competitions aside from the FIFA World Cup.</SPAN><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(AFP)</SPAN> <SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>ODD ANDERSEN
</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">16 Mar 2007</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>Paying homage to sporting heroes has long been a serious business in North America, where every team has a Hall of Fame to honour players who have left an indelible mark.
These history-makers took their clubs to fresh heights, and in exchange their squad numbers have been retired from service. It is a fitting tribute not bestowed lightly, but one fully deserved by talents such as former NBA star Michael Jordan and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky. Never again will a Chicago Bulls player take to the court with 23 on his back, and never again will the Edmonton Oilers hand out a jersey emblazoned with the number 99.
In recent years, football has followed suit. This was impossible back in the days when teams wore shirts numbered from one to 11, but, since squad numbers were attributed to every player at the start of the season in the 1990s, the tradition has taken hold. With the practice growing, FIFA.com takes a look at some of the numbers that have been preserved for posterity.
Loyalty to the colours has always been a sure-fire way to acquire hero status, and in Italy several stalwarts have seen their loyalty rewarded with the ultimate tribute. Emblematic defender Franco Baresi is one of those, having formed a career-long association with AC Milan, where he spent 20 memorable years. Upon his retirement in 1997, the Rossoneri showed their appreciation by withdrawing Baresi's number six shirt from circulation.
They will be performing a similar ceremony in a few months' time as well, when Baresi's successor as captain finally calls time on his playing days. Paolo Maldinihas won every title under the sun during his time with the Lombardy giants and, possibly more than any other player, has come to symbolise AC Milan. "Paolo represents the history of the club," declared vice-President Adriano Galliani in January 2005. "When he finishes his career, we will retire his shirt." Unsurprisingly, the man himself admits to being touched by the gesture. "I'm really very happy and secretly I was hoping for it," he said. "The club have always been very good and respectful towards me." Having announced he will retire at the end of the current campaign, anyone hoping to see Maldini's iconic number three shirt should hurry to the San Siro fast.
Across the city at rivals Inter, Giacinto Facchetti is the only player to have been accorded the same honour. Another number three, the gifted full-back sadly passed away on 9 September last year, but not before making an enormous impact with both the Nerazzuri and the Italian national side. He graced Inter's colours 634 times between 1961 and 1978, winning four scudetti and two European Champion Clubs' Cups, while with the Azzurri he lifted the continental trophy in 1968 and finished runner-up at the 1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico™. "Giaci