Barcelona’s rising star, Lamine Yamal, has officially been promoted to the first team and given a new squad number that has a rich history with the Blaugrana legends.
Yamal made his debut for Barcelona at just 15 during the 2022/23 season, but it was the following year that he truly shined.
Throughout the 2023/24 season, the young Spanish national cemented his place as the starting right-winger for Barcelona, surpassing the more experienced Raphinha and pushing him to either the bench or a less preferred right-wing position.
Given his elevated status, Yamal has now secured a spot within the first team, requiring him to forgo his previous shirt number ‘27’ in favour of a number between 1 and 25, as mandated by LALIGA rules.
The Blaugrana revealed Wednesday, through a series of creative social media posts and an official website announcement, that Yamal will don the number 19 jersey for the upcoming season.
The anticipation surrounding Yamal’s promotion has been growing, with speculation about his new number circulating in Catalan media.
With Ansu Fati potentially leaving the club, some believed Yamal should inherit the iconic number 10 jersey.
However, concerns were raised about the burden that number could place on his young shoulders.
When asked if he would like to take on ‘Lionel Messi’s No. 10’, Yamal expressed his interest but acknowledged, “the shirt belonged to Fati.”
Ultimately, the club chose another number with significant ties to Messi, the ‘19’, which was the Argentine’s first number as a first-team player and the second he wore during his Barcelona career.
Drawing further comparisons between Messi and Yamal, the number 19 has a notable legacy, having been worn by Patrick Kluivert and more recently by Sergio Aguero, Ferran Torres, and Franck Kessie.
