Lamine Yamal, the young football sensation, has been honored with Barcelona’s iconic number 10 jersey, a number that previously belonged to Lionel Messi. The official announcement was made this Wednesday, marking a milestone in the player’s promising career.
Yamal, who celebrated his 18th birthday on Sunday, inherits the number from Ansu Fati, who recently joined AS Monaco on loan for a season.
The confirmation of Yamal’s new number took place during a special event where the winger was accompanied by his family to celebrate his new contract, which was agreed upon last month and is valid until 2031.In the past, Fati had succeeded Messi as the number 10 in 2021, but a series of injuries prevented him from keeping his place in the Barça team.
Meanwhile, Yamal has established himself as one of the most outstanding players for both Barça and the Spanish national team.
The teenager, who has already played 106 matches with Barça and scored 25 goals, will now wear one of the most emblematic numbers in the club’s history.
In addition to Messi, the number 10 shirt has been worn by Barça legends such as Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Romário and Diego Maradona.
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Yamal had hinted at this change in recent weeks, posting photos of Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Messi on social media, the first two while wearing the number 10 jersey of Barça.
This will be the fourth different number that Yamal has used with Barça: he wore the number 41 when he debuted in 2022-23, the 27 the following season and then the 19 last year, the same number that Messi used before taking the number 10.
Yamal has won two LaLiga titles, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup with Barça, as well as helping Spain win the European Championship last summer.
