TEENAGE forward Ansu Fati will take over the No.10 jersey of Barcelona following the departure of Lionel Messi.
Argentine superstar Messi left Barcelona in August to join Paris Saint-Germain after 21 successful years at the Catalan club, for whom he is the record goalscorer and best-ever player.
“Ansu Fati has a new shirt number. After wearing the number 22 then 17, the young Barça striker will proudly wear the No.10 shirt – a famous jersey previously worn by legends such as Leo Messi, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo,” the club announced on Wednesday, the day after the summer transfer window closed.
“Despite being just 18 years of age and still recovering from injury, Ansu Fati forms part of Barça’s history as a record breaker and also with the Spanish national side,” the club added.
“Since his debut in August 2019, the youngster has set records in the league and Champions League.
Just six days after his debut for the first team he became the youngest ever player to score in the league for FC Barcelona.”
In other squad number changes for the season, Ousmane Dembélé takes over the No.7 from Antoine Griezmann, while Yusuf Demir is the new No.11 and Oscar Mingueza moves to No. 22.
The most recent arrival, Luuk de Jong, will wear No.17.
New signings Memphis Depay (9) Eric Garcia (24) and Sergio Agüero (19) have all had their numbers confirmed.
