Nike is looking to direct the Barcelona star to wear the number “10” starting next season, a number that has a long history at the club.
It has been worn by legends such as Ronaldinho, Romario, Diego Maradona, and finally Lionel Messi, and since Messi’s departure, no player has been able to bear this burden, except for Ansu Fati, who has suffered from great pressure and failed to shine.
Fati, who was born in 2002, was known for his exceptional talent, but he was unable to benefit from it due to repeated injuries and irregular performances.
Despite many expectations that he would be Messi’s successor, he was unable to impose himself, which prompted coach Xavi Hernandez to loan him to Brighton & Hove Albion, where he did not achieve much success.
With his return to Camp Nou under the leadership of Hansi Flick, it seems difficult for him to play a leadership role, especially in light of the plans of Joan Laporta and Deco to get rid of him as soon as the opportunity arises.
In this context, and according to information from the Spanish newspaper El Nacional, Hansi Flick believes that Lamine Yamal is the ideal candidate to wear the number “10”.
Yamal, who is only 17 years old, has proven to be one of the team’s most prominent stars, and has shown a distinguished level that makes him the leader of Barcelona’s new project, ahead of his more experienced teammates such as Robert Lewandowski.
While Yamal was expected to get the number “10”, Ansu’s continuation prevented that, which made him settle for the number “19”, the same number he wears with the Spanish national team.
However, Laporta remains wary of giving Yamal such great responsibility at such an early age, as he believes that pressure may hinder his progress, so he prefers to deal with him gently, avoiding repeating the experience of Ansu Fati, which negatively affected his career.