The debate regarding who is the best player for the United States of America national football team has been going on for the last two or three years now and the two contenders for the highly coveted shirt number 10, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are both deserving of the shirt but according to some of the critics, on current form and experience in the international circuit, Fulham striker Clint Dempsey deserves the shirt more than any other player in the United States national team, including Donovan.
It was only a few days back that Clint Dempsey was given the opportunity to pout on the shirt number 10 in the friendly match against Italy in the absence of Landon Donovan and the attacker showed that he is truly a world class player, having played in the English Premier League for almost 5 years now, with some scintillating forward balls that almost decimated the famous Italian defense. Football is a game that has given us some world famous number 10s including the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, George Best, Zinedine Zidane and so many others.
The number 10 shirt is coveted and being able to wear it is a privilege for any player, especially if it is for the national team, where one has to earn the right to wear it and Clint Dempsey’s displays against Italy proved that he has more than done enough to earn the United States number 10 shirt on a permanent basis.
However, Landon Donovan is likely to return to the national team by the time the United States play their next international match and will be in line to reclaim the number 10 shirt but it is worth seeing if the manager denies him the chance and allow Dempsey to carry it on a permanent basis.
