Editor’s note: This is one entry in our series looking at the best players to wear (almost) every number in MLS history. To read the other stories, click here.



Wearing the No. 6 often pegs a player as a defensive stalwart or a physical force — think Marcel Desailly playing as a stopper for France and Chelsea in the late ’90s, or Roberto Carlos charging up and down the left wing from his position as a fullback for Brazil.



More recently, Xavi Hernández was a different type of No. 6. The Barcelona and Spain midfielder was a creator and a foundational piece in Barcelona’s tiki-taka system. His confidence on the ball in tight midfield pockets was uncanny, and his intelligence and positional awareness made up for his lack of defensive bite.



This small sample of players shows that a No. 6’s personality is determined more by their skillset and the tactical system in which they play than the number itself. And this is a...