Diego Maradona's No.10 shirt should be completely retired from football, according to Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas.
The Portuguese manager has called for every club and nation to honour Maradona's memory by no longer assigning the number to squad members.
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Maradona passed away, age 60, following a cardiac arrest on Wednesday evening, leading to an outpouring of emotion from the football community. Villas-Boas, speaking after his side's lost 2-0 to Porto in the Champions League just a few hours after the tragic news broke, shared his thoughts.
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“Maradona, yes it is tough news," he told reporters. "I would like FIFA to retire the No.10 shirt in all competitions, for all teams. It would be the best homage we could do for him. He is an incredible loss for the world of football.”
Maradona famously made the No.10 his own for the Argentina national side, which he captained to glory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He also wore the number for Napoli, where he achieved almost god-like status during a seven-year spell, and at Barcelona and Boca Juniors.
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Maradona's No.10 shirt has already been retired at Napoli and the Italian side's stadium will also now be renamed in his honour.
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Maradona's No.10 shirt has already been retired at Napoli and the Italian side's stadium will also now be renamed in his honour.
Quite how Dmitri Payet - Marseille's No.10 - or the many other players who currently wear the number would feel about the change is anybody's guess. Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Luka Modric and Marcus Rashford are just a few examples of those who wear the number for their clubs.
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If Villas-Boas got his wish, thousands of players would all need to find an alternative.
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