The Best Players To Have Donned The Number 9 Jersey

The number 9 jersey has an illustrious history in football. The number is generally handed to centre-forwards or basically the target-man. The one who dons the number has to take up the responsibility of scoring goals, and sometimes hold up and assist the striker. Everton's Dixie Dean was the first to wear the number 9 jersey, when numbers were introduced in the 1933 FA Cup final. Since then, there has been several footballing wizards who have sported this number. Here's a look at 10 of the best players to have donned the number 9 jersey.

#10 Fernando Torres

Country: Spain

International Caps: 110

Goals: 38

Clubs: Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea

His time at Chelsea has never been witness to the goalscoring machine that Fernando Torres used to be. Since his move to Stamford Bridge in 2011, Torres has just netted 20 goals in the Premier League. But his days at Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and his heroics with Spain earn him a place in this list of finest number 9's. A product of the Atletico Madrid academy, Torres moved up the ranks and soon grabbed headlines with his poaching skills. After seven years and 91 goals at Atletico, Liverpool came calling for him.  At Anfield he enjoyed the most prolific goalscoring spell of his career, becoming the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals. A two-time European and once World chamion with Spain, Torres continues to be a mainstay for La Roja. With 38 goals, he is currently the country's third-highest goal-scorer, behind leader David Villa and Raul.