Lamine Yamal has officially stepped into the spotlight at FC Barcelona, taking over the club’s iconic number 10 jersey, once famously worn by the legendary Lionel Messi.
The announcement was made Wednesday during an event at the club shop located at the Spotify Camp Nou.
“Messi made his path and I will make mine,” Yamal said with conviction, addressing reporters. “I will work as hard as I can, give everything and try to make those Barca fans who are there happy and those who are at home.”
At just 18, Yamal has already carved a name for himself, often drawing comparisons to Messi thanks to his dazzling performances and shared roots in the La Masia youth system.
Last season, the winger played a key role in helping Barcelona secure a domestic treble.
His stellar rise was further solidified in May when he signed a long-term deal that ties him to the Catalan side until 2031, a contract that now places him among the highest earners at the club.
“I hope to enjoy myself more than last year and make my dreams come true,” Yamal added, expressing his aspirations to lift the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and the World Cup with the Spanish national team.
Since making his senior debut in 2023 at the tender age of 15, when he wore the number 41 shirt , Yamal has racked up over 100 appearances and netted 25 goals for the club.
“Barca is my life, I’ve been here since I was seven, for all kids from La Masia their dream is to make it to the first team and I’m doing it and I have to keep working,” he reflected.
“When I was little I dreamed of being at Barca and having this number.”
Last season, he donned the number 27 shirt before switching to number 19 — another number previously worn by Messi between 2005 and 2008.
After Messi’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, it was Ansu Fati who first inherited the coveted number 10 jersey.
However, Fati’s time in the shirt was hampered by injury setbacks, and he recently completed a loan move to Monaco earlier this month.
Barcelona’s number 10 has a rich legacy, having been worn by football icons like Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo.
“(Messi, Maradona, Ronaldinho) are three legends of football, three legends of this club,” Yamal acknowledged. “I am grateful for what they gave the club and I will try to continue this legacy.”
Yamal recently made headlines for celebrating his 18th birthday with a private party that featured performers with dwarfism, a decision that drew public scrutiny.
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights has since called on the public prosecutor to launch an investigation following a complaint by the Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias.
“In the end, I work for Barca, I play for Barca, but when I’m away from (the club) I enjoy my life, and that’s all,” Yamal said, addressing the controversy.
As he embraces the weight of the number 10 shirt, all eyes will be on Yamal to see if he can live up to, or perhaps even redefine, its legendary status.
