When I first saw the name "Pelé," my brain immediately went to soccer. I thought the category might be something like "World Cup Winners" or "Famous Brazilian Athletes." It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you see a name that big. I was ready to guess something related to soccer legends right off the bat, but I decided to wait for the second clue to see if the theme held up.

Then "Messi" popped up. Now, this felt like a confirmation of my soccer theory. I was almost certain the answer was going to be "Famous Soccer Players" or "Ballon d'Or Winners." However, in Pinpoint, the clues usually move from specific to general. I took a second to think: what is the most specific thing these two have in common besides the sport? It’s the jersey number. They both made the number 10 legendary. I held that thought in the back of my mind.

The third clue, "Decathlon," was the real game-changer. This clue completely broke the soccer theme. You don't play soccer in a decathlon. I shifted gears and looked at the word itself. "Deca" is the Greek prefix for ten. Suddenly, the "10" from the Pelé and Messi jersey numbers started to make a lot more sense as a broader theme rather than just a sports category.

By the time "Perfect score (sometimes)" appeared, I was totally convinced. We’ve all heard the phrase "a perfect 10" when watching the Olympics or reality TV dance shows. It fit perfectly with the previous clues. It wasn't about the sports themselves; it was about the numerical value associated with excellence in those sports.

The final clue, "X (when counting in Rome)," was the ultimate safety net. It’s a very direct way of saying "10" without using the digits. Once I saw that, I knew there was no other possibility. I went from thinking about soccer stadiums to thinking about Greek prefixes and Roman history, eventually landing on the common thread: everything here is tied to the number 10.