Barcelona announce Ansu Fati as the heir to Leo Messi’s No 10 shirt

Lionel Messi’s No 10 Barcelona shirt has been passed on to 18-year-old Ansu Fati. The jersey number, which was previously held by football legends Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, is considered ‘magical’. The club couldn’t retire the No 10 after Messi’s departure as La Liga rules state that each team must assign their senior squad numbers between one and 25.

“Ansu Fati has a new shirt number. After wearing the number 22 then 17, the young Barca striker will proudly wear the number 10 shirt – a famous jersey previously worn by legends such as Leo Messi, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo,” a Barcelona statement said.

Fati is one of the most exciting talents in Europe. At 18, he is recovering for an injury and is expected to join the team soon. 

Ansu Fati made his Barcelona debut in 2019. Just six days after his debut for the first team he became the youngest ever player to score in the league for the club. 

Also read: Lionel Messi comes off the bench to make his debut for Paris Saint-Germain. Watch

“A record breaker who will now wear the magical number ’10’.”

Lionel Messi left Nou Camp in August after his five-year contract with Barcelona couldn’t be extended due to “financial and structural obstacles”. The 34-year-old then signed a two-year contract – with an option for a third – worth £25m per year after tax, plus bonuses at PSG.

Also read: Antoine Griezmann comes back to Atletico Madrid as transfer deadline ends

Messi made his Ligue 1 debut on Sunday when PSG locked horns with Reims. Riding on Kylian Mbappe’s brace, PSG won 2-0. Messi was brought in as a substitute in the 66th minute. 

Lionel Messi finished his 21-year stint with Barcelona with 34 major trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four European Cups, scoring 674 goals along the way – making him their all-time record scorer. Ansu Fati is looking for his first piece of silverware with the Catalan giants.