The number behind a soccer player’s shirt is multi functional. It represents the position of a particular player in the field; it also helps the “men of the whistle” identify the individual players in relation to the soccer field’s going ons.
But lately, the number behind a player’s jersey has usurped a new role. The modern shirt number now denotes the importance and greatness of a player in a team. It is no coincidence therefore that jersey numbers such as 10, 7 and 9 have been worn by the game’s legends more than other numbers.
Edison Arantes do Nascimento alias Pele of Brazil, Diego Armando Maradona the Argentie, France’s Zinedine Yazid Zidane, Roberto Baggio of Italy and M alawi’s Enerst “Livewire” Chirwali are some of the living legends who have made the number 10 sacred in football.
Similary, Eric Cantona of France, Luis Figo of Portugal, England’s David Beckham, Spaniard Raul Gonzalez and the Flames’ Peter Mponda have popularized the number 7 so much so that donning the “axe” is just no longer synonymous with roaming up and down the width of the pitch, it also attaches an aura of greatness and importance to the player wearing the number.
Jersey numbers like 9, 6 and 8 have also been “starpolised” and they too are given to special players made of soccer’s sterner stuff.
Ironically, while great footballing nations and clubs continue to observe this tradition with players such as Leo Messi, Wayne Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo all acquiring great numbers proportional to their great ability, the philosophy of correlating jersey numbers to a player’s importance seems to be declining in Malawian soccer. Whether is it the disappearance of stars worth donning the great numbers or just a paradigm shift, special numbers in the game are now carelessly being worn by every Jim and Jack who at times finds himself twiddling fingers on the bench than dictating play in the field.
For instance, ever since Enerst Chirwali held up his boots almost a decade ago, no player has stepped forward to the number. Currently the Flames do not have a known number 10. If they have, the “wearer” does so not because he merits the number, but because it is just one of the numbers in the kit pack is. With Captain Peter Mponda also nearing the top of his hill, there is no obvious heir in sight to ascend to the number 7 throne.
The script also looks the same at Malawi’s “Big Four” at, Big Bullets, MTL Wanderers, Silver Strikers, and Escom United.
Gone are the days when supporters of these clubs would scream even in their sleep the name of their number “tens” or 7 and 9 because the players wearing these numbers were true stars. They were the stars who would lift their teams from the bottoms of the deepest blue seas. Up and coming players attempting to break through the ranks of these teams new better that they would have to show traits that make football geniuses for them to inherit these special jerseys which the senior players made their own that they contemplated including them in their death wills.
Surprisingly, the case is no longer the same. In the terraces embarrassing questions, which need not be asked in modern football are the norm. Questions such as: “Who is that player wearing Jersey number 10, or 7 or 9?” Such a question, if asked a decade ago would warrant trespassing charges. Yes because by then, no ” unknown” wore these special numbers.
Today questions like these are forgiven and are not surprising. Perhaps the sixty four thousand dollar question is: Is the lack of respect to a jersey number in Malawian football down to the extinction of stars worth wearing the special numbers or it’s just the “it’s nothing but a number paradigm taking its toll? The verdict is yours to make.
Hessie's Two Cents 