FC Barcelona confirmed that teenage forward Ansu Fati will wear the number 10 from now on.
“Ansu Fati has a new shirt number. After wearing the number 22 then 17, the young Barça striker will proudly wear the number 10 shirt – a famous jersey previously worn by legends such as Leo Messi, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo,” the team’s media release stated.
Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s iconic number 10, left for PSG this summer after the Catalonian club couldn’t register his new contract at Camp Nou. Brought up by Barcelona’s La Masia Academy, just like Messi, Fati is currently in the final stages of recovery after rupturing his meniscus in November last year. When he returns, he’ll take over Messi’s number 10 shirt, which also belonged to star Brazilian Ronaldinho until 2008.
Fati is regarded as one of the most promising players in world football. He made his first senior appearance for Barcelona in August 2019. He went on to become the youngest player ever to score in the Spanish La Liga for Barcelona, in a 2-2 draw against Osasuna. The goal came just a week after his debut.
Fati didn’t stop there, however. In December 2019, he became the Champions League’s youngest goal-scorer after netting against Inter Milan. Then, in September 2020, he broke the age barrier on the Spanish national team, scoring in front of Ukraine.
Made in La Masia
Fati was nicknamed “The New Messi” ever since he made his breakthrough on Barcelona’s first team. His technique and his eye for the goal earned him comparisons with the Argentinean legend, who left the club last month after 21 years.
Fati extended his contract with Barcelona in September 2020.
Born in Guinea-Bissau, Fati moved to Spain with his family when he was six. His two older brothers, Braima and Miguel, are also football players, just like their father was in his younger years. Fati grew up close to Sevilla and joined Barcelona’s La Masia Academy in 2012 when he was 10. In July 2019, he signed his first professional contract with Barcelona. He now has 41 games in the Barcelona shirt, scoring 13 times. On the Spanish national team, he’s played four times, netting once.