Ansu Fati handed number 10 shirt at Barcelona | OneFootball

Youngster Ansu Fati has been given Barcelona’s iconic number ten shirt following the departure of club legend Lionel Messi.

The topic of who would get the number ten was a cause for great debate. Many believed that it should be retired in honour of Messi, who is the club’s all time top goalscorer and biggest ever legend.

Messi in his iconic number 10 shirt

However, this was not an option, as La Liga rules state that numbers one through to 25 must be registered. As a result, they had to find a replacement for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

And now the Catalan giants have made their choice, handing the shirt to teenager Ansu Fati. The number ten at Barcelona has high standards, being previously worn by Messi, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Hristo Stoichkov, and many other world class players.

The 18-year-old has been at the club since 2012. He progressed through La Masia and made his professional debut at the start of the 2019/20 season, aged just 16.

Not long afterwards, the winger began breaking all sorts of records. He became La Blaugrana’s youngest ever goalscorer in a 2-2 draw against Osasuna, and also became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League with a late winner against Inter Milan at the San Siro.

At the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign, Fati appeared to be making huge strides at the top level. He scored five goals in his first ten outings, including a strike against infamous rivals Real Madrid. His form earned him four caps for the Spain national team.

However, the teenager had his season cut short by an injury to his left knee. He is expected to make his return soon.

No pressure, kid

Fati is not the only player at the Camp Nou to receive a new number for the season. Ousmane Dembele will now wear the number seven following the departure of Antoine Griezmann.

New signing Memphis Depay will wear the number nine shirt, while compatriot Luuk de Jong has been given number 17. Former Manchester City duo Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia will wear numbers 19 and 24 respectively.

Read also: Champions League Group E previous meetings: Barcelona hoping for revenge on Bayern Munich