Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal has officially taken over the iconic number 10 shirt, once worn by club legend Lionel Messi.
“Messi forged his own path, and I’ll forge mine,” Yamal said during a media event at the club store inside Spotify Camp Nou.
“I’ll give everything I have, work hard, and do my best to bring joy to Barca fans—whether they’re in the stadium or watching from home.”
The 18-year-old winger, who came through the famed La Masia academy like Messi, played a key role in Barcelona’s domestic treble triumph last season.
In May, Yamal signed a new contract with the club that runs until 2031, making him one of Barcelona’s highest earners.
“I hope to enjoy myself more than last year and make my dreams come true,” continued Yamal, who said he wanted to win the Champions League with the Catalan giants, and also the World Cup with Spain.
Yamal has scored 25 goals for the club in over 100 appearances, making his debut in 2023 at the age of 15 wearing the number 41 shirt.
“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,” said Yamal.
“When I was little I dreamed of being at Barca and having this number.”
After a season wearing the 27, last summer Yamal followed in Messi’s footsteps by taking the number 19, which the Argentine wore at the club between 2005 and 2008.
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Ansu Fati inherited Messi’s number 10 shirt in 2021, when now Inter Miami player left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain.
Beset by a series of injuries Fati was unable to fulfil his potential at Barca and signed on loan for Monaco earlier in July.
Other star names including Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo have worn the Barcelona number 10 shirt in the past.
“(Messi, Maradona, Ronaldinho) are three legends of football, three legends of this club,” said Yamal.
“I am grateful for what they gave the club and I will try to continue this legacy.”
Yamal made headlines after celebrating his 18th birthday last weekend with a private event involving hired entertainers with dwarfism.
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights asked the public prosecutor to investigate the party after a complaint from the Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias (ADEE).
“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,” he added.
