Kylian Mbappe is set to become the latest player to don the famous No.10 at Real Madrid – but what about the other players to have worn that number?
While arguably the greatest No.10 to have ever played starred for Madrid’s great rivals, the Spanish giants have had more than their fair share of all-time greats wear the iconic shirt.
So with Mbappe set to become the new holder of the No.10 shirt, here’s our rankings of every player to have worn the famous number this millennium.
8. Lassana Diarra
It speaks to the quality of Madrid that a player as good as Diarra is last in this ranking.
The Frenchman is unusual in this list in that he is not of the attacking mindset and was even billed as the ‘new Makelele’ at one point in his career.
Before Madrid, he had stints at Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth before moving to Spain in 2009.
Having worn the No.6 in his first season, Diarra swapped to the 10 after Wesley Sneijder left for Inter and he was a consistent member of the team during the 2009-10 campaign.
However, the signing of Sami Khedira saw him pushed down the pecking order and a four-year stint came to an end in 2012 when Diarra left for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
7. Robinho
The once-golden boy of Brazil moved to Madrid in 2005 and was immediately handed the No.10 shirt, asked to fill the rather large shoes of Luis Figo.
But the promise of youth did not turn into performances and Robinho struggled with consistency, resulting in him being pushed to the bench.
The club won two league titles whilst he was there, but he left in 2008 to become the first major signing of the new Manchester City era.
Robinho would later disgrace himself after being charged with gang rape of a woman in a Milan nightclub. The 41-year-old is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence in Brazil.
6. James Rodriguez
Star of the 2014 World Cup, Rodriguez earned his move to Madrid due to his performances with Colombia and while he was no slouch, he never really recaptured that form for Madrid.
His first season saw him pick up a fracture in his right foot, ruling him out for two months.
But from 2015 to 2017, both he and the team enjoyed a dominant run, winning the league in 2017 and becoming the first team to retain the Champions League.
By the time the Colombian left Madrid, he had scored 37 and assisted 42 in 125 games, which is not a bad record, but there was still a sense of disappointment.
5. Wesley Sneijder
A goal against Atletico in the Madrid derby on your debut is an ideal way to start life at the biggest club in the world.
Sneijder joined Madrid in 2007 from Ajax, becoming the then-second-most expensive Dutch player of all time, and scored nine goals that year as Madrid won the league.
But the following season, injuries and a less-than-focused attitude away from the pitch saw him lose form under manager Juande Ramos.
The club also signed the likes of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, which pushed Sneijder further down the pecking order.
He was sold to Inter in 2009, where he won the treble, and that move to Manchester United should happen any day now…
4. Mesut Ozil
Ozil was a key player in Jose Morunho’s Madrid side and was the creative lynchpin of a front three that included Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema.
The fact that he registered 81 assists in 159 appearances tells you everything you need to know about how he played.
And he was a big part of the team that wrestled the 2011-12 title away from Pep Guardiola’s dominant Barcelona.
But, as would come to the fore during his later career, Ozil was criticised for his work rate, especially when it came to defending.
Needing money to finance a move for Gareth Bale, Madrid opted to sell him to Arsenal.
But it left Ronaldo in dismay who said: “The sale of Ozil is very bad news for me. He was the player who knew my movements in front of goal better than anyone else.
“I’m angry about Ozil leaving.”
3. Clarence Seedorf
Midfield commander Seedorf arrived at Madrid in 1996 for a fee of just €6 million and although his stint lasted just 2.5 years, he made quite the impact during his time there.
Madrid won the league in 1997 then followed it up with the Champions League, the second time Seedorf had won the trophy.
But he left to join Inter Milan in December 1999 after his playing time was reduced by John Toshack.
Seedorf would go on to win four Champions League titles, becoming the only player to win the tournament with three different clubs.
His Madrid career can be summed up with his 40-yard strike against Atletico in 1997.
2. Luka Modric
When Modric left Tottenham for Madrid in 2012, no one would have predicted that 13 years later that he would only just now be leaving.
A slow start had the Croatian labelled as “La Liga’s worst signing of the season”, but he had those critics eating particularly large slices of humble pie as his skill mixed with longevity made him one of the best players in Madrid’s history.
In 2018, he capped the year with the Ballon d’Or, having reached the World Cup final and won the Champions League.
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1. Luis Figo
Anyone got a spare pig’s head?
Figo’s move from Barcelona to Madrid remains the most infamous Judas transfer in football history, even more so than Sol Campbell to Arsenal.
Yes, the North London clubs are rivals, but the Madrid/Barcelona rivalry is a different breed and players moving between the clubs, particularly at the peak of their powers, is relatively unheard of.
What hurt Barcelona fans the most, other than the sense of betrayal at secret agreements being made, is that Figo was that good.
The Portuguese maestro won everything there was to win during his time in the Spanish capital as well as the 2000 Ballon d’Or.
He was the first signing of Florentino Perez’s Galacticos era and, aside from Ronaldo, was arguably the most talented of them all.
After Madrid, he moved to Inter Milan where he won four titles on the spin before hanging up his boots in 2009.
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