Raphinha is following in the footsteps of Brazilian royalty as the next player to wear the number 10 shirt.
Raphinha, who typically wears the number 11 for club and country, received the great honor of donning the number 10 for the Seleção in Brazil's upcoming 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. The winger will look to translate his blistering form for Barcelona to the national team, all while wearing a shirt fit for a Brazilian great.
Of course, Neymar is the rightful owner of the number 10, but the 32-year-old has not represented Brazil since he tore his ACL in Oct. 2023 against Uruguay. One year later, the Brazilian returned to the pitch for Al-Hilal, but he quickly found himself back on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
RAPHINHA É O NOVO CAMISA 10! 🇧🇷🔥 Enquanto o Ney não volta, o craque do Barcelona assume a responsa na #SeleçãoBrasileira. Curtiu a escolha? pic.twitter.com/19Lw7A02L9
In Neymar's absence, the shirt was given to Rodrygo, but the Real Madrid man is also unfit to represent Brazil during the November international break. The 23-year-old suffered a muscle injury to his left leg and is out for at least a month.
Raphinha, then, is the obvious choice to wear the number 10. The winger already has 12 goals across all competitions for Barcelona this season and he scored a brace in Brazil's 4–0 victory over Peru back in October.
With Vinícius Júnior set to return to Brazil's left wing, the Seleção's front line should find plenty of success against a Venezuela team that has not won a match since June. The big test for Brazil comes on Nov. 19 against Uruguay. The two South American powerhouses face off for the first time since La Celeste eliminated Dorival Júnior's side from Copa América 2024.
The pressure will be on Raphinha to deliver with the number 10 on his back, like so many Brazilian legends did before him, including Pelé, Zico and Ronaldinho.
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Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering the European game and international competitions.
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