After initially announcing plans to retire the number 10 shirt in the wake of Pele's death, Santos have decided against the move, at least for now.
Santos Will Not Retire Pele's Number 10
For a player to have their shirt number retired by their club, they need to have played a significant role at some stage in the club's history. Sometimes it is done upon their own retirement, like Javier Zanetti's number 4 shirt at Inter or Paolo Maldini's number 3 at Milan. Other times it is a posthumous honour intended to honour the memory of a recently deceased player, as was the case when Fiorentina made the number 13 permanently unavailable following the sudden death of defender Davide Astori.
Regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, Pele scored 618 goals across his 18 years at Santos and won the World Cup three times with Brazil, so there can be doubt about his merit of such an honour. His daughters had reportedly requested that Santos retire his number 10 shirt in the aftermath of his death last week, with club president Andres Rueda saying it would be "an excellent tribute", but those plans have now been shelved.
The emergence of a 2017 video in which Pele himself discussed the possibility of the eventual retirement of the number 10 is what led to the change of heart. O Rei said back then that by continuing to use the number 10 shirt, it would be remembered forever. Any Portuguese speakers can check out his comments below.
Qual a opinião de vocês? pic.twitter.com/wxQmJc0RLj— Beiçola Santista (@beicolasantista) December 30, 2022Brazilian newspaper Folha say that the Santos board was divided about any possible retirement, with some saying the fact that the number has been worn by many players since Pele's playing days somewhat devalue the gesture and that it would come too late.
Venezuelan winger Yeferson Soteldo currently occupies Santos' number 10 jersey.
The number remains unretired for now but will not be used for the first competitions of 2023, while the board take more time to come to a definitive decision. Santos will wear a crown above their crest in a tribute to Pele, although this particular homage was already planned months before his death.
Tribute to Pele: Santos to Add Crown to Club Crest
Do you think Santos should retire the number 10 shirt in honour of Pele? Have your say in the comments.