No pressure, Ansu! Teenage sensation Fati handed the famed No 10 shirt at Barcelona as the 18-year-old is chosen as Lionel Messi’s successor
- Barcelona have revealed that 18-year-old Ansu Fati will wear the No 10 shirt
- The shirt has been vacant since Lionel Messi left to join Paris Saint-Germain
- In a video released on social media it was confirmed Fati will wear it this season
Teenage star Ansu Fati has been given the huge responsibility of succeeding Lionel Messi with the No 10 shirt at Barcelona.
There had been some suggestions that teenage midfielder Pedri could be handed the iconic jersey number.
But in a video released on social media on Wednesday, Fati, who previously wore the No 22 shirt, was presented with his new shirt number for the 2021-22 season.
Ansu Fati has been given the No 10 shirt by Barcelona as the successor to Lionel Messi
Messi, Barcelona’s greatest ever player, wore No 10 for many years before leaving for PSG
Messi’s shirt number has been vacant in the Barcelona squad since the six-time Ballon d’Or winner saw his contract expire.
He elected to join Paris Saint-Germain in France and Barcelona have now looked to maintain tradition by making his successor another graduate of the club’s famed La Masia academy.
In a statement on Barcelona’s website they detailed how ‘record breaker’ Fati is the perfect player to be tasked with filling the huge void left by Messi.
Fati (left) is seen as the next big star at Barcelona having broken through to the first team
‘Ansu Fati has a new shirt number. After wearing the No 22 then No 17, the young Baraa striker will proudly wear the number 10 shirt – a famous jersey previously worn by legends such as Leo Messi, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo,’ the statement read.
‘Despite being just 18 years of age and still recovering from injury, Ansu Fati forms part of Barca’s history as a record breaker and also with the Spanish national side.
‘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. He is a record breaker who will now wear the magical No 10 shirt.’
More to follow.
