If this is a numbers game, Gianluca Busio is ready to come up aces for Sporting KC
Gianluca Busio has always liked the No. 10 jersey.
Some of his biggest idols in soccer have donned that famous number. It signals a team’s main playmaker: Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, even Busio’s older brother, Matteo.
Now it’s Busio’s turn to wear it.
With Felipe Guttierez leaving Sporting Kansas City and freeing up the No. 10 jersey, Busio was quick to snatch up the opportunity to wear one of soccer’s weightiest numbers.
“It’s just very special and for me to get it — it’s a big step for me and big shoes to fill,” Busio said. “It means a lot, and hopefully I can do a lot of big things in the number.”
Busio first approached Sporting KC kit man Mike Flaherty about switching out his number 27 for 10. That message filtered up to head coach Peter Vermes, who approached Busio soon after in the weight room.
“Hey, I hear you want No. 10,” Vermes said to Busio.
The youngster was quick to confirm, even after Vermes retorted with, “You sure?”
It’s not that Vermes doubts Busio’s ability to wear the 10 jersey — Vermes has consistently touted Busio’s ability — but he understands the expectations that can come with wearing the jersey.
But he also didn’t hesitate in allowing Busio to take the number when Busio made his intentions clear.
“I like the confidence. I’ve always said that I always want to go into battle with players that have an ego, strong personality, confidence, I want to be around those people,” Vermes said. “I think those people are the winners; those are the people that win.”
Busio follows a strong line of players to wear 10 in Kansas City. Former designated player Felipe Guttierez would have led the midfield wearing number 10 in 2020 if not for a season-ending injury, and former KC Wizards forward and Sporting Legends inductee Mo Johnston made a name for himself wearing it from 1997 to 2001.
Perhaps the most famous 10 to many Sporting KC faithful would be Benny Feilhaber, who wore it from 2013-17.
Feilhaber joined the Sporting KC coaching staff in January and shared some advice with Busio.
“He just brought up that he’s the best player to wear it at this club, he thinks, so he just wished me luck in it and wants to see me do well,” Busio said. “It’s all jokes and just a good time, but he did great things in that number and hopefully I can do close to what he has done ... or even better, hopefully.”
The 18-year-old acknowledged that over the past couple of years he’s been the youngster looking to earn his way and perhaps help the team win a couple of games. But after making 19 appearances in 2020 — and only getting better by the game — Busio is ready to make that next step up.
Not just to being a first-teamer. But to being “the guy.”
“I think this year is more of a takeover mentality, more ‘everything is going through me,’ and I want to be the guy,” Busio said. “This year, I want to be the guy that they’re looking at when they need something to happen, the guy who is ready to make a mistake if it’s trying something new.”
Despite his tender age, Busio will be seen as one of the more senior players on this year’s team, having made first-team appearances since 2018.
There’s still a handful of veterans on the roster — Tim Melia, Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza among them — but in 2020 the latter two saw the pitch for the least amount of time since KC went by “Wizards.” Zusi is also recovering from a foot injury that will sideline him for the start of the season, and longtime captain Matt Besler left the club in December.
“It’s something that I’ve been building toward,” Busio said. “I really feel like this year I can really do that (step up) a lot more.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 4:33 PM with the headline "If this is a numbers game, Gianluca Busio is ready to come up aces for Sporting KC."