Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

When it comes to the most famous and well-respected shirt numbers in European football, the Juventus No. 10 ranks high on any list. It has been passed from one truly great player to another with incredible regularity, and the sheer volume of legends to have worn it is a testament to its prestige.

It should be viewed with similar reverence to the No. 9 of Newcastle United or the Manchester United No. 7. The latter of those two English clubs are, of course, the reason the Turin giants will go into the 2016/17 season with their most hallowed shirt vacant, thanks to their summer purchase of Paul Pogba.

The France midfielder only inherited it 12 months earlier, switching from the No. 6 he will now wear at Old Trafford, but Pogba undeniably enjoyed the best season of his career with the No. 10 on his back.

Topping his previous best tallies for goals and assists with 10 and 14, respectively, in all competitions, his contribution looks remarkable even from the most basic level of statistical analysis.

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Figures provided by WhoScored.com show that no player in Serie A made more assists (12), while only Franco Vazquez (126) completed more dribbles than Pogba’s final total of 120. The same source also highlights that his 47 interceptions were a career-high, with his 76 tackles only bettered by the 84 he registered in 2013/14.

Yet his contribution went beyond an ability to fill up a stat sheet. His impact on the biggest matches was also markedly more pronounced than ever before, with the 23-year-old shining just when the Bianconeri needed him most.

As last season reached its climax, Juventus were locked in a desperate battle for the Serie A title and trying to overcome Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, and Pogba shrugged off some indifferent form to carry the team forward.

With the club having made a disastrous start, the Scudetto was far from assured, but the Frenchman's play—filled with tricks, delicate first touches and overwhelmingly powerful shots—helped deliver it, only for him to end the summer wearing a different shirt.

That caused much anger and resentment among Juventus supporters, but this was about so much more than his decision to go back to Manchester. The crass marketing campaign shown in the tweet above disappointed many, yet more than anything, it was the way in which Pogba treated the famous shirt number that truly stirred emotions in Turin.

Andrea, a fan who regularly takes his place in the Curva Sud at Juventus Stadium, explained those feelings to Bleacher Report, discussing just what the exit of the France international meant:

We survived after Zinedine Zidane, we'll survive after Pogba, right? He won't be part of our history, he's just part of our past now. The “Juventus 10” is the dream of every child playing football because it represents the shirt of the classiest players, those who set the stadiums on fire with their skills. Giving it to Pogba was the biggest mistake because he could have never represented the future of Juve; losing him after just one year leaves me completely indifferent to the whole situation.

To understand why it means so much, it is to that history referenced by Andrea we must look, starting with the man who vacated it just one year before Pogba.

Carlos Tevez spent only two seasons with La Vecchia Signora, but he played a major role in restoring the reputation so battered by the Calciopoli scandal.

Juve’s enforced relegation a decade earlier as punishment for that saw her stock tumble, but Tevez took a team that had struggled for European recognition and dragged it to the Champions League final.

A first appearance there in 12 years was the icing on the cake of an almost perfect 2014/15 campaign in which coach Massimiliano Allegri and the tenacious Argentinian also delivered a first league-and-cup double in two decades.

Tevez bagged an astonishing 50 goals in 95 appearances for the club, but it was arguably the fact he wore the No. 10 shirt without complaints from fans that stands as perhaps the biggest testament to his time in Turin.

Indeed, he took on the responsibility after Alessandro Del Piero—arguably Juve’s greatest-ever player—had moved on. The Italian legend had worn it since squad numbers were introduced in 1995, going on to set new records for both appearances and goals over the span of 19 incredible seasons.

There are no words to describe his impact upon everyone who supports Juventus, for Del Piero embodied everything important that the club represents. His dignity, grace and sheer skill felt incredible to see live, fans witnessing history seemingly every time he pulled on that famous shirt.

Goals in Champions League finals, in huge Serie A clashes and even World Cup semi-finals are all on his resume, and for many it is impossible to think about Juventus without mentioning his name.

When he departed for Sydney FC, there was talk of retiring the No. 10, but the long-serving captain believed it should remain available, as he would explain at his farewell press conference:

I hope that the No. 10 can be less of a burden after me. I hope that whoever wears it can begin a glorious career like mine and perhaps even greater. I've really had so much that I would never want it to be retired, this way, every child can dream of day of wearing it.

Yet it was not just Del Piero who fans remembered as Tevez repeatedly lit up Juventus Stadium; the exploits of another fiery Argentina native also came to mind.

One of the earliest stars of Serie A, Omar Sivori is fondly remembered for his time with the Bianconeri, his name prominent in any list of club legends.

He arrived from River Plate for a world-record fee, and spent the next eight seasons dancing around defenders and collecting silverware with equal aplomb. Sivori delighted in embarrassing would-be markers at every opportunity but always delivered the perfect end product.

His partnership with John Charles is among the best the game has seen, and by the time Sivori left the club in 1965, he had claimed three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia wins and the 1963 Ballon d’Or.

Arguably the next great player to follow in Sivori’s early footsteps was Liam Brady. Often overlooked when discussing the best Juve No. 10s, the Irishman won two Serie A titles, with his high-pressure penalty in 1982 directly sealing that championship.

Brady would leave to allow Michel Platini space to shine, his spell at Juve perhaps the most sustained period of quality in any player’s career.

The French maestro claimed Serie A top scorer honours and the Ballon d’Or for three consecutive seasons, while helping the team win every possible trophy.

His skill and technique were simply unsurpassed, and after his exit in 1987, Juventus would struggle to contend for honours. Even a well-known name like Michael Laudrup wearing the No. 10 could not help, and it would be the iconic Roberto Baggio who once again restored the Old Lady to top spot.

Baggio was breathtaking in his early pomp, guiding the Bianconeri to a UEFA Cup triumph before ending a nine-year Scudetto drought in 1995. He, too, would earn World Player of the Year honours, and it would be his move to AC Milan that allowed Del Piero to flourish.

It was into these long shadows that Pogba stepped last year, and he also flourished with the famous shirt on his back.

Yet his exit tarnished that legacy, and supporters of the Italian giants will now wait to see who next takes on the challenge of donning their most iconic number.