It’s official. Lamine Yamal, at just 18, has been handed the most mythologized shirt in Barcelona history: the No. 10.
It once belonged to Lionel Messi. Before him, Ronaldinho. Before them, Rivaldo, Riquelme, Romário, even Diego Maradona. Now, it belongs to a teenager born in 2007, who plays with the swagger of someone destined for this moment.
At Camp Nou, numbers have meaning. This one carries memory. And expectation.
Yamal’s appointment as Barcelona’s new No. 10 isn’t just symbolic. It’s strategic. Club officials reportedly believe that the jersey will challenge him, not reward him. A responsibility, not a crown.
The heir, the number, and the comparison no one asked for
He’s already won four trophies with Barça and was one of Spain’s best performers en route to their Euro 2024 triumph. His touchline runs became breaking news. His assists were replayed on loop. He is, by any footballing measure, the most exciting player under 20 in Europe.
Still, not everyone sees it as an anointing. Or rather, not without caveats.
“Lamine is better now, but he hasn’t won anything yet,” said Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., 14, during a Twitch stream with North American streamer RaKai. The son of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner wasn’t trolling. But he wasn’t entirely reverent either.
In the eyes of many fans, the comment drew a line between promise and greatness. And, fairly or not, that line runs through Yamal’s shoulders now.
Cristiano Jr. later clarified that he was pointing to the gap between potential and longevity. His father, after all, scored over 850 goals across two decades, won four Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, and redefined athleticism in modern football. Yamal, in contrast, has played just over 100 professional games.
Even Ronaldo himself weighed in earlier this year: “They look alike, the skin tone, the haircut. They’re three years apart. I really like Lamine. Let the kid grow. Don’t rush things.”
That sentiment, caution and admiration in one breath, captures the double-edged nature of Yamal’s rise. He’s already Barcelona’s highest-paid player, earning up to $43 million a year. The club reportedly inserted a €1 billion release clause into his contract. His face is on posters, shirts, and magazine covers. Now his name is stitched onto a jersey once worn by Messi himself.
In sporting terms, the Yamal era has already begun. Whether it becomes historic or simply premature will depend not on what he wears, but what he becomes.
