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There's often an interesting debate that breaks out among football fans concerning the importance of the jersey numbers that players wear. On many occasions we have seen the players themselves show a reluctance to switch their jersey numbers with other players.
Sometimes it is a matter of chance and luck and we all know footballers carry their own superstitions. In other cases it is a matter of pride and identity. So much so that the positional significance that the numbers indicate is almost forgotten.
Nonetheless, it can't be disputed that many jersey numbers have become synonymous with the iconic superstars who wore them. Some jersey numbers have even become a brand for the players like CR7, AM9, and more. One such jersey that carries great importance at any club is the No.11 usually worn by wingers.
They have to stay at the top of their game and contribute with goals directly and indirectly. They have to be a key component in attack for their team to keep their place in the side and vindicate their status as No.11. Otherwise even a great player like Gareth Bale can lose his jersey number to Marco Asensio, as we have seen at Real Madrid.
On that note, here's a look at five of the best current players who wear the number 11 jersey in football.
#5 Kingsley Coman
Taking the next step is important in football, both for developing yourself and giving yourself the chance to compete for major silverware consistently. In this regard, only a few can say that they made better decisions and progress than Kingsley Coman.
The Bayern Munich forward has won a European top-flight title in each of the past nine years of his career which is no easy feat. He started at Paris Saint-Germain, then moved to Juventus in 2014 for a solitary season. Bayern Munich then came calling for the Frenchman to sign him for €21m, a move that paved the way and saw him fulfill his potential.
Coman is just 25-year-old and one of the brightest prospects in football right now who wears the No.11 jersey. It's quite remarkable that at this age he's already just 10 games away from making his 250th appearance at senior level in club football.
The France international etched his name in the hearts of Bayern fans in 2020. He scored the winner in the Champions League final against PSG as the Bavarians claimed the treble.
The forward is a technically gifted player who is comfortable taking on defenders and wriggling out of tight spaces.
With Coman yet to hit is absolute best, it will be interesting to see what his next big move will be. One thing is for sure, when he hangs his boots, he'll have plenty of silverware locked in the cabinet.
#4 Marco Reus
From a man who has regularly tasted silverware in his professional career, we move on to a man who has only won a major trophy twice. The barren trophy cabinet that Marco Reus houses will never truly reflect his brilliance on-field.
Injuries and loyalty have both had such a stronghold on Reus that he never truly emerged as the superstar he could have been. The Borussia Dortmund No.11 is capable of playing anywhere in the front-three and even as an attacking midfielder.
Like Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski and many others, Reus could have pushed for a move to Bayern. He could have moved to any other top club as well, but he didn't. That has made all the difference one would think. He is adored by the Black and Yellows fanbase for whom he has stuck through thick and thin.
In the last decade, the German has made the cut for the Bundesliga Team of the Season on six occasions. Additionally, he has won the award for Bundesliga Player of the Season thrice, one of which was with Borussia Monchengladbach.
He has amassed 330 goal contributions in his club career since signing his first professional contract.
Sadly, there has not been a single season in which Reus featured without getting injured and missing significant portions of the campaign. Yet he's managed to come back all those times, with the same pace, quality, creativity and killer touch.
The Dortmund captain has been in fine form this season having contributed four goals and eight assists in 13 Bundesliga appearances. Signal Iduna Park would love to see its captain pick up major silverware before he retires.
#3 Angel Di Maria
The Old Trafford is popularly known as the 'Theater of Dreams' and rightly so. But if there was one man who endured a straight-out nightmare in Manchester, it would have to be Angel Di Maria. The winger arrived with a big reputation in a €75m move to Manchester United and hit rock-bottom in his solitary season in England.
Few would have expected Di Maria to rise from the horror spell and get back to his best if not push the ceiling and break it. But the Argentine revived his career in France with Paris Saint Germain. He went into their history as the record assists provider with 117 and counting.
There's no doubt that he is one of the best to have worn the No.11 shirt. He has had to perform under the shadow of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi for club and country. Despite that, Di Maria's made a name for himself.
He has always been a class support act without crying for attention. He has found ways to thrust himself into the limelight, upholding his professionalism. His vision and directness make him a continuous threat in the final third, for the Argentine can create goal scoring chances without taking much time.
The 33-year-old scored the all-important winner in the Copa America 2021 final. It was a goal without which Messi could well have been out of the Ballon d'Or running. He has won six top-flight titles in Europe, along with a Champions League title and multiple French domestic trophies.
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
We can say that he's scored nearly 500 goals in senior club football and that he's 40. But he is still one of the best strikers in Serie A or in Europe for that matter. We can also say that he's won 31 trophies in his career, of which he's won major league titles in five different regions of Europe. By all means that will be enough to make Zlatan Ibrahimovic one of the best to ever don the No.11 jersey.
Or in typical Ibrahimovic fashion, we could just say, HE IS ZLATAN! The arrogance, the cheekiness, the savagery, the longetivity, the shithousery, he is a whole package and we would not change one thing. After making 803 club appearances, the big Swede is still going strong and we can only hope that he does not hang his boots soon.
This season, he has been in and out due to a knee injury and Achilles issue. In his nine Serie A appearances, he's come off the bench twice to ensure all three points. The centre-forward is PSG's second-all-time top scorer with 156 goals, just behind Edinson Cavani.
Throughout his life he has produced magic at crucial moments. Be it the brace that secured Scudetto for Inter Milan or the El Clasico winner for Barcelona in the 2009-10 season. Let's not forget the outrageous overhead kick vs England from 35 yards! He is a living miracle this one.
#1 Mohamed Salah
There's only one place for the king; his throne. When we talk of those wearing the No.11 jerseys, the Egyptian King rightly sits at the summit of this list. Mohamed Salah is in red-hot form this season. If he keeps going at this pace, it will be difficult to keep track of the records he could break.
Just when the world thought they had seen the best of Mo Salah, he's only gone and broken the ceiling we assumed for him. In 20 appearances this season in the Champions League and Premier League, he has scored an astonishing 19 goals and provided 11 assists.
He became the first away player in the English top-flight to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford. This came when Liverpool humiliated Manchester United with a 5-0 scoreline. He's wriggling past defenders for fun, curling shots into the top corners with no effort whatsoever and outmuscling opponents in duels.
Salah has also now become the top scoring African in the Premier League with 110 goals and counting. He stood seventh in this year's Ballon d'Or rankings and our guess is that he's coming for it in 2022.
