Mumbai Indians fans club are running a campaign @MIpaltan 'Retire the Jersey No 10' on Twitter as a mark of respect to Tendulkar's ODI contribution.
In soccer, Jersey No 10 has normally been donned by the best player of a particular team. Someone like legendary Pele found that his No 10 jersey was later worn by Zico, Rivaldo, Kaka while Diego Maradona's No 10 jersey has been inherited by none other than Lionel Messi.
"It's a message that the No 10 belongs to the master only. When Sachin can do all this in ODI's for us, can't we pay him back in a way no Indian sportsman was ever honoured? Let's #RetireTheJerseyNo10," said their twitter handle.
"Remember how we used to stay glued to the TV when Sachin used to bat in ODIs? Let's showcase our tribute to the legend.#RetireTheJerseyNo10.
"Did you know that Sachin has 185 consecutive ODI appearances? Amazing fitness and consistency. Let's honour the legend. #RetireTheJerseyNo10. Once the jersey number is retired, no player from the team may use that number. Show ur respect for Sachin & tweet with #RetireTheJerseyNo10," said the posts on their account.
Another post read, "No one else deserves to have No.10 on his back except "The Master" #RetireTheJerseyNo10. After the player retires, retiring his jersey is an honor a team bestows on a player."
Taking a jersey out of circulation as a dedication to a team's legend is a tradition followed world over by the football clubs.
