Thiago Motta as Italy’s No. 10 Inconsequential to the Azzurri’s Euro 2016 Quest

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 8, 2016

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In the week since Italy manager Antonio Conte announced his final choices for his 23-man roster for the 2016 UEFA European Championship, there has been a lot of controversy in his selections.

Faced with a rash of injuries, especially to his midfield, the former Juventus boss went for experience over youth.  Inexperienced but talented players like Giacomo Bonaventura, Marco Benassi and Jorginho were left at home.  Instead, shirts were given to 31-year-olds like Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini, the latter of whom also has intimate knowledge of Conte's systems thanks to their years together at Juve.

Another veteran along for the ride is Daniele De Rossi, who, at 32 years old, was thought to be fading out of the national-team picture despite carrying 103 caps—the sixth most in the country's history.  

De Rossi also brings 18 goals to the tournament, which somewhat depressingly is three times as many as the next highest-capped man in the squad—which happens to be Giorgio Chiellini.

Another older player brought in at the expense of young talent is Thiago Motta of Paris Saint-Germain.  But Conte has drawn the ire of Italy fans for more than just Motta's age.  The 33-year old has controversially been issued the No. 10 shirt.  So much consternation has come from this decision that it's worth looking into in detail—even if at the end of the day it may not mean much.

For those of you who are brand new to the game of football, a quick history lesson about squad numbers—and the No. 10 in particular—is in order.



The first documented use of squad numbers in association football came on March 30, 1924, in the United States, in the forerunner to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.  There's no detail as to the genesis of that first moment, but it could have something to do with the trend toward uniform numbers in major league baseball, ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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