Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal has been handed the club’s iconic number 10 shirt, famously worn by Lionel Messi, as he prepares for a new chapter in his blossoming career.
“Messi made his path and I will make mine,” Yamal told reporters during a club event at the Spotify Camp Nou store on Wednesday.
“I will work as hard as I can, give everything, and try to bring joy to the Barça fans in the stadium and those watching from home.”
The 18-year-old winger, long regarded as a natural heir to Messi thanks to his La Masia roots and dazzling performances, played a key role in helping Barcelona secure a domestic treble last season. In May, he signed a new deal with the club that runs until 2031, making him one of the highest earners at Barça.
“I hope to enjoy myself more than last year and make my dreams come true,” Yamal said. “I want to win the Champions League with Barça and the World Cup with Spain.”
Yamal has already made over 100 appearances for the club, scoring 25 goals since debuting in 2023 at just 15 years old while wearing the number 41 shirt.
“Barça is my life, I’ve been here since I was seven. For every kid from La Masia, the dream is to reach the first team. I’m living that dream and I must keep working,” he said.
“When I was little, I dreamed of being at Barça and having this number.”
After wearing the number 27 last season, Yamal moved to number 19, the same shirt Messi donned between 2005 and 2008. Now, he takes over the number 10, a jersey also worn by legends like Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo.
“Messi, Maradona, Ronaldinho—they are three legends of football, three legends of this club,” Yamal reflected. “I am grateful for what they gave to Barça, and I will try to continue this legacy.”
The number 10 shirt was last worn by Ansu Fati, who inherited it in 2021 after Messi’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain. However, Fati struggled with recurring injuries and recently joined Monaco on loan earlier this July.
Yamal recently found himself in the spotlight for reasons beyond football after celebrating his 18th birthday with a private party that featured entertainers with dwarfism. The event drew criticism from advocacy group ADEE (Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias), prompting Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights to request a public prosecutor’s investigation.
Responding to the controversy, Yamal remarked, “In the end, I work for Barça, I play for Barça, but when I’m away from the club I enjoy my life, and that’s all.”