Lamine Yamal Pays Tribute to Lionel Messi Ahead of Taking Over Iconic Barcelona Shirt | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal paid tribute to Lionel Messi as the “best player in history”, preparing to step into the Barcelona icon’s shoes by taking over his former No. 10 shirt.

Ansu Fati was previously dubbed Barcelona’s next Messi, assuming the famous jersey in 2021 after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left Camp Nou to join Paris Saint-Germain.

But injuries contributed to Fati failing to live up to that hype and his recent transfer to Monaco, a loan which can be made permanent, opened up the No. 10 jersey once more.

Yamal has already shared a common jersey with Messi—No. 19—but it has been once of Barcelona’s worst kept secrets that he will inherit No. 10 once he turns 18 over the weekend.

Yamal’s humility and maturity are key pillars of his success at such a young age, and it is clear the teenager is fully aware of who he is attempting to succeed.

“For me, Messi is the best player in history,” the Barça star told a press conference in China during a promotional tour for brand partner adidas. “I liked everything he did, all over the pitch, everything about his game. And it’s been a truly beautiful thing for me.”

With no international tournament this summer and Barcelona not involved in the FIFA Club World Cup, Yamal should be rested, fresh and ready to go when 2025–26 begins.

Barcelona won a domestic treble in Spain last season and Real Madrid’s deep run in the Club World Cup, falling at the semifinals stage, could hand the Catalans an advantage when La Liga returns due to a lack of rest and preparation time for Los Blancos.

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