Yamal could take over the number if current holder Ansu Fati goes out on loan this summer
Lamine Yamal insists he feels no added weight from talk of inheriting Lionel Messi’s iconic No 10 shirt at Barcelona. The teenage sensation has been tipped as Barcelona’s next great talisman and he is expected to don the famous shirt soon as his sceptre.
At just 17 years old, Yamal already has a claim to being the current best player on the planet. The Barcelona winger is not only a regular starter under Hansi Flick but also a genuine Ballon d’Or contender for 2025, following a breakthrough campaign that has seen him light up La Liga and Europe alike.
The No 10 shirt is currently worn by Ansu Fati, who is edging closer to another loan exit this summer and speculation has therefore intensified that Yamal could be handed the club’s most iconic number next season.
Messi wore the No 10 at Camp Nou for over a decade, creating a legacy that feels near-impossible to replicate. Fati inherited the shirt in 2021 following Messi’s tearful departure to Paris, but the mantle always felt temporary after that.
Now, with Yamal considered the most gifted graduate of La Masia since Messi himself, eyes are turning to whether he will become the symbolic heir as well as the sporting one.
Yamal, though, is choosing to stay grounded. Speaking to COPE, he dismissed the significance of the number:
“At the moment, Ansu has it. I wear number 19 and I really like it. It’s brought me luck.
“Is there more pressure to play with number 10? When I go to shoot at goal, I’m not going to think about what number I’m wearing.”
Yamal recently became one of Barcelona’s top earners, signing a new deal that provided a base salary of €15 million per season, with performance bonuses potentially lifting that to €20 million.
