During an interview with Sky Sports, Brazilian Kaka had an interesting theory about why the classic number ‘10’ position is extinct in football.
Brazilian Kaka is one of the last classic number ‘10’ players in football who performed at the highest level in recent history. He even won the Ballon d’Or in 2007 in this position during his brilliant spell at AC Milan. Today, football has evolved in a manner that made this type of player not have a secured role in his team anymore.
We can count the footballers who play this position with the fingers of one palm today. We have James Rodriguez at Everton, Isco Alarcon at Real Madrid, or Jack Grealish at Aston Villa. All the other players who have similar characteristics are better-suited to play as open wide wingers. We’ve always wondered why these players are no longer relevant in today’s football.
Kaka’s theory about the extinct number ‘10’.
During an extensive interview with Sky Sports on his visit to Carlo Ancelotti, Kaka revealed his theory. “We do not have the classic No 10 anymore,” says Kaka. “I have seen this change in the game. The situation is awkward because it is not that we do not have these players, it is just that other positions are viewed as more important. Instead, we have this 4-3-3 where the three players in midfield are box to box.”
“Now, it is quite important for the defensive line to be high,” he explains. When the line is high, the space is smaller so the No 10 no longer has the space in which to think about the play. Before, we had a little bit of space because the defenders were scared that this guy could play the pass. That opened up the field a bit.”
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