RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Fiorentina will retire the famous 10 jersey in its centenary year as an olive branch to Giancarlo Antognoni. The legendary playmaker’s relationship with the club has soured over the past few years and he’s threatened to skip the celebrations. It’s a sad state of affairs when the greatest player in Viola history is so mad at management that they refuse to participate in what should be a joyful occasion. That’s all I have to say about that.
What I’m really interested in is the 10 shirt itself. Albert Guðmundsson has worn it for the past couple years but will have to find a new one. That’s fine by me. I’ve made no secret of my opinion about him and seeing the sport’s most hallowed number on his narrow shoulders is a constant, low-level irritation. It did get me thinking, though, about all the 10s in Fiorentina history. I enjoyed thinking about it so much that I made a tier list.
A quick bit of history. Serie A teams started wearing numbered shirts during the 1939-1940 season. Back then, every starting lineup was numbered 1-11, meaning players would cycle in and out of squad numbers through the season. The FIGC mandated annual squad numbers ahead of the 1995-1996 season, setting up the system still in use and leading to Rui Costa’s teammates pranking the absolute hell out of him .
While I don’t have data for a full century of number 10s, I was able to check Transfermarkt going back to the 1950-1951 season, when 4 players rotated through it. In total, there are 50 guys listed who’ve worn it, which is a lovely round number for a centenary. I didn’t think I’d be able to rank them 1-50 so I’ve gone for tiers instead, taking into account impact, length of tenure, and how large a portion of Viola history they hold. That might sound subjective but it’s not. It’s all very scientific and I’m not sharing my trailblazing methodology with anyone but the Nobel committee. You can rest assured it’s completely and unimpeachably correct so no arguing is allowed.
Tier 1: All-time greats
Giancarlo Antognoni (1973-1977, 1979-1984, 1986-1987): His current feud with the club aside, there’s a reason he’s l’unico dieci for now and forever.
Roberto Baggio (1986-1990): He didn’t win the club any trophies and his Ballon d’Or came after he left Florence but you can’t tell the story of calcio without him.
Rui Costa (1994-2001): The platonic ideal of the 1990s trequartista and maybe the finest playmaker of his generation.
Tier 2: Stars
Miguel Montuori (1955-1957): El Artillero wore 8 and 9 as well throughout the course of his storied career, which was cut tragically short when he got hit in the face with a ball and suffered permanent vision damage aged just 28. Had he gotten another couple years, he might well have led Fiorentina to silverware and moved up a level.
Kurt Hamrin (1957-1958): He’s an all-time great without a doubt but mostly played on the wing and thus sported the number 7.
Giancarlo de Sisti (1965-1970, 1973-1974): Only the old-timers remember Picchio but 8 seasons with Fiorentina, including a key role in the second scudetto, make him one of those hallowed names. He was more of a metronomic passer than a playmaker but gets credit for his attitude and general cuteness , as well as returning to coach the Ye-Ye teams of the early 1980s.
Adrian Mutu (2006-2011): You all know that I’m a Mutu fetishist. What did you expect?
Tier 3: Good servants
Egisto Pandolfini (1951-1952): A regular for club and country, he also wore 8 and 9 at times during his 4-year tenure.
Guido Gratton (1955-1956): 6 seasons as a regular in some magical teams but he was always part of the supporting cast behind guys like Montuori and Hamrin, often in a deeper midfield role. Has the Italy caps and the scudetto, though, to remind you of his class.
Amarildo (1967-1968): He helped fire Fiorentina to its first scudetto but was more about moments than sustained excellence, scoring 16 goals across 3 seasons. Probably more of a Milan legend than a Viola one. He’s also the last surviving participant in the 1962 World Cup final.
Claudio Merlo (1972-73, 1974-1975): A deeper midfielder than what one might usually associate with the 10, he was the tempo-setter for the second scudetto run. He only scored 29 goals across 345 seasons but he’s got the 6th-most appearances in club history as a regular for 11 (!) seasons.
Massimo Orlando (1990-1994): Never hit the predicted heights, largely due to injury, but boasted technical excellence and selflessness during those early Cecchi Gori years.
Anselmo Robbiati (1994-1995): Never the most prolific but he helped get Fiorentina back to Serie A and had some memorable nights, particularly in the cup competitions, while mostly serving as Rui Costa’s backup.
Alberto Aquilani (2012-2015): The Aquaman was the most mercurial of the 3 tenors but when he was on song, he was marvelous. Bonus points for coming back to win silverware as Primavera coach.
Federico Bernardeschi (2015-2017): Calling him a good servant is obviously not quite right but he was the centerpiece of the attack for a couple (pretty lean) years. I also have it on good authority that he’s grown into a genuinely nice man so I’m willing to put it all down to youthful idiocy.
Gaetano Castrovilli (2020-2023): He’ll always be an almost, a what-if, but his determined returns from his constant injuries and underrated work without the ball elevate him in my mind, even if he never came close to the ceiling I saw for him.
Nico González (2023-2024): One of the least 10ish 10s here as a player who relied on his physical excellence but he spearheaded the attack in his own inimitable way for years and deserves a ton of credit for keeping the Viola in Europe.
Tier 4: Cult figures and steady contributors
Rodolofo Beltrandi (1951-1952): He earned 47 appearances with 10 goals across 4 seasons but never secured a regular role.
Dan Ekner (1951-1952): As far as I can tell from the game logs, the S...
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