Yamal handed iconic Barcelona No 10 jersey

Barcelona's electric 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has been handed the famous No 10 shirt previously worn by club icon Lionel Messi, capping a remarkable breakthrough season for the teenager.

Yamal earned the jersey after a stellar campaign, in which he scored 25 goals for the club in over 100 appearances — making his debut in 2023 at the age of 15 wearing the No 41 shirt — as Barcelona swept the domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup while reaching the Champions League semifinals.

The youngster, who wore the No 19 shirt last season, had already committed his long-term future to the club, agreeing a contract extension in May that will keep him at Barcelona until 2031.

Having turned 18 on Sunday, Yamal was finally able to sign the contract and make it official.

He did so on Wednesday, accompanied by his family.

He also received the No 10 shirt from club president Joan Laporta in a special ceremony.

The No 10 shirt carries enormous weight at the Camp Nou, having been worn by Messi during his trophy-laden tenure at the club that shaped his career.

The Argentine claimed 34 trophies with Barcelona and departed as the club's all-time leading scorer with 672 goals, leaving after the 2020-21 season due to the club's financial troubles.

The No 10 has also graced the backs of Barca greats such as Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho, but Yamal said he would not be weighed down by its legacy.

"I'll try to build my own path, but all kids would like to be like them," Yamal said Wednesday at the club's announcement.

"All three have been incredible players, they're all legends, and I will try to follow in their footsteps."

"Messi paved the way with the No 10, I will make mine," Yamal told reporters.

"They are three soccer and club legends. Every kid dreams of having something from Messi, Ronaldinho and Maradona. I'll try to carry on that legacy.

"First, my dream was to debut for Barca and wear the No 10. Everyone who grows up here dreams of that. I'm grateful to the club."

Following Messi's exit, the jersey was passed to young winger Ansu Fati, but the now 22-year-old failed to live up to his early promise and he was eventually loaned out to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Fati will spend next season on loan at AS Monaco, clearing the way for Yamal to inherit one of soccer's most famous shirt numbers.

Having also won the European Championship with Spain last year, Yamal said his goal is to win all the other titles that are missing from his trophy cabinet.

Club of my life

"I haven't won the Champions League and the World Cup," he said. "These are my goals now."

"My goal is to keep winning and growing," Yamal said. "It's the club of my life. It's my home, I've been here since I was seven years old."

The signing ceremony comes after Yamal was criticized for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers at his lavish 18th birthday party last weekend.

Yamal sidestepped the controversy on Wednesday.

"In the end, I work for Barca, but when I'm away from the club's training center, I enjoy my life and that's it," Yamal said. "I'm indifferent to both criticism and praise if they don't come from my family or people close to me."

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).

A local association for people with disabilities had already condemned the alleged hirings, saying it would take action "legally and socially "against those responsible for promoting such actions.

Spanish radio station RAC1 published an interview with one of the entertainers who said he was at the party.

The man said they were all treated with respect. He complained about the reaction against Yamal for hiring them.

Yamal celebrated his birthday with a party filled with celebrities. It also included some of his Barcelona teammates. Guests were not permitted to film at the event, but a video emerged of a group of people with dwarfism heading into the party.

"No one disrespected us, we were allowed to work in peace," said one of the performers anonymously on RAC1, saying there were four of them present.

"We're normal people who dedicate ourselves to what we love doing in an absolutely legal way.

"For a couple of years these people (the ADEE) have wanted to harm us, they want to prevent us from doing what we like, but they have not offered any work or training to those who are affected.

"All this fuss has come about purely because it was Lamine Yamal's party."

The performer said they dance, deliver drinks and do magic tricks to entertain guests at the events they work at.

Agencies