For Alexis Mac Allister, there was only ever going to be one winner when he was presented with the options for his Liverpool squad number last week.
For some, the allure of the No.7 at Anfield carries the most weight. It's enough to evoke memories of Kevin Keegan and Sir Kenny Dalglish
The No.8 at Anfield, however, is possibly most loaded with significance, certainly for supporters of the modern era
while the squad numbers of 7, 8, and 9 might appeal to any new attacking addition, it was the No.10 that Mac Allister chose
In Argentina, it is synonymous with two of the greatest players to have ever lived in Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi
Mac Allister:
"I could wear the No 10 in the Under-23s,” Mac Allister has said previously. “But I don’t want to wear it in the first team. Hopefully Messi will wear that number for a long time.”
Back in 2001, the Argentina national side attempted to retire the number in honour of arguably their greatest son, Maradona.
"Apart from the recognition Maradona has received around the world, the measure will remove the weight of responsibility borne by any player using the number that shined so brightly on Maradona,"
Carlos Bilardo, who was Maradona's manager during their 1986 World Cup triumph, said at the time. However, the request was denied, leading to Messi eventually succeeding Maradona as a World Cup-winning No.10.
"I know how important the No.10 is in football,” Mac Allister, who moved to the club last week, told Liverpoolfc.com upon his arrival.
“I had the possibility to take the No.8 as well, which is a big number for this club because of Gerrard, of course. But I decided for No.10 because I used it a lot of times in Argentina, in Brighton, U23s national team as well. It’s a number that I really like and that’s why I chose it.”
Mac Allister will succeed Sadio Mane as the club's latest No.10, following in the footsteps of Michael Owen, John Barnes and Philippe Coutinho.
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