Konstantinos Karetsas is Borussia Dortmund's marquee signing of the summer so far, with a transfer fee of €30 million. The playmaker is being hailed as the "Greek Lionel Messi". Although the obvious squad number 10 is currently vacant at BVB following Julian Brandt's departure, Karetsas will wear 19 instead.
According to Bild , the 18-year-old had no interest in taking the 10. His favourite number is said to be 20, which he most recently wore at KRC Genk. But Marcel Sabitzer currently has the 20 at BVB, even though he is still being linked with a departure this summer. Karetsas therefore chose 19, the number he also wears for the Greece national team. At Dortmund, Kevin Großkreutz wore the 19 for a long spell before Brandt took it and later switched to the 10.
BVB could yet sign a new number 10 this summer: Said El Mala? The now 19-year-old was tempted with a Dortmund shirt bearing the number 10 two years ago, but the transfer collapsed because Dortmund and his club at the time, Viktoria Köln, could not agree on a fee. Instead, El Mala moved to 1. FC Köln.
BVB efforts for Said El Mala are currently stalling
El Mala now wants a move to Dortmund, but the two clubs remain far apart in their valuation of the transfer fee. Köln are allegedly demanding around €50 million, with the latest BVB offer still well below that. According to Bild , managing director Lars Ricken and sporting director Ole Book are not deliberately keeping the 10 free, especially as El Mala wears the 13 at Effzeh.
There is also occasional speculation at BVB over a fresh return for the currently clubless Jadon Sancho. Right now, absolutely nothing points in that direction. But if a move for El Mala falls through, the issue could heat up again. During his BVB loan spell in spring 2024, Sancho wore the number 10. At his two most recent clubs, FC Chelsea and Aston Villa, he wore the 19 in each case, which is now taken at BVB by Karetsas.
Among the other famous number 10s in BVB history are Mario Götze, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Tomas Rosicky, Andreas Möller, current managing director Lars Ricken, supervisory board member Michael Zorc, as well as the heroes of the 1960s Lothar Emmerich, Siegfried Held and Timo Konietzka.