The iconic Pele will be remembered by Santos’ president as they attempt to retire the number 10 jersey.
The globe came together to pay respect to a true icon of the game after Pele, the club’s greatest-ever player and one of the biggest names in international football, passed away earlier this month at the age of 82.
Following a request from Pele’s family, Santos president Andres Rueda has stated that the team will stop wearing the number 10 jersey right away in an effort to retire it completely.
“With the understanding of the family, we will propose that the number 10 shirt be retired,” Rueda told Radio BandNews. “This is a bureaucratic procedure which requires approval from a Council meeting.
“Meanwhile, as an administrative act, we will not wear the number 10 shirt from January onwards in the hope that it will become a final decision.”
The request for permission to formally retire the jersey must be approved by Brazil‘s Deliberative Council, and consent from FIFA and CONMEBOL is also required. Teams must assign every shirt number from 1 up to the last member of the squad without any gaps for events like the Copa Libertadores.
Santos are anticipated to give the number 10 jersey to a third-choice goalkeeper or a peripheral academy player who won’t get any playing time until they can legally remove it from circulation.
