Staff Reporter.
Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal has been handed the iconic Barcelona No. 10 shirt previously worn by Lionel Messi, the Catalan club confirmed Wednesday.
Yamal, who celebrated turning 18 on Sunday, inherits the number next season from Ansu Fati, who completed a season long loan move to AS Monaco earlier this month.
“Our 10,” wrote Barca on social media, accompanied by a video featuring Yamal.
The 18-year-old winger, often compared to the Argentinian legend who also came up through the club’s La Masia youth academy, helped the Catalan giants win a domestic treble last season.
Yamal has scored 25 goals for Barca in 116 appearances, making his debut in 2023 at the age of 15 while wearing the number 41 shirt.
After a season wearing the number 27, last summer Yamal followed in Messi’s footsteps by taking the number 19, which the South American superstar wore at the club between 2005 and 2008.
Yamal made unwanted headlines after celebrating his 18th birthday last weekend with a private event involving hired entertainers with dwarfism.