Lionel Messi left a void to fill for Barcelona after his departure to PSG in 2021 as the former no. 10 was at the heart of everything for the Blaugrana including the revenues and financial stability of the club.
Barcelona named Ansu Fati as Lionel Messi’s successor to the club after handing the no. 10 jersey to the Spanish forward back in 2021.
Following Leo Messi’s departure to PSG, Barcelona have given the No. 10 jersey to 18-year-old Ansu Fati.
The legacy continues. ✨ @brfootball pic.twitter.com/wwasQDZBBr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 1, 2021
But as it appeared, it was rather a desperate decision than a realistic one after the youngster failed to deliver up to the expectation and the selling of the new no. 10 jersey has drastically reduced following the exit of the little magician.
During his time at Barcelona, Messi established himself as one of the best players in the world, breaking numerous records and winning numerous awards and titles some of his most notable achievements during his time at Barcelona include:
• 7 Ballon d’Or awards
• 4 Champions League titles
• 10 La Liga titles
• 7 Copa del Rey trophies
Messi – total stats:
838 games (700 games for Barca)
683 goals
281 assists
34 trophies
52 hattricks
52 freekicks
5 Ballon d'Or
6 Golden Boot
6 Pichichi
6 FIFA Best Player
2 UEFA Best Player #GOAT pic.twitter.com/e8EyWoD8dw— 𝐒𝐏𝐘 𝟏𝟏𝟕 👣 (@Offl_TheVenom) November 27, 2019
Despite his success at Barcelona, Messi’s later time at the club was filled with controversy as in 2020, he announced to leave the club, citing issues with the club’s management. However, he eventually decided to stay for the 2020-2021 season, before eventually transferring to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.
Fati made his first team debut for Barcelona in August 2019, at the age of 16, becoming the youngest player to play for the club in La Liga. Despite his young age, he quickly established himself as a key player for the team, scoring several important goals and providing assists for his teammates.
👏 With 1⃣6⃣ years and 3⃣5⃣1⃣ days, Ansu Fati is the youngest Barça player in the history to make his debut in the Champions League. pic.twitter.com/mQcc9ez9nr
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 17, 2019
In the 2019-2020 season, Fati became the youngest player to score in the Champions League, and he was also named the Golden Boy (awarded to the best young player in Europe) at the end of the season. He continued to play a key role for Barcelona in the 2020-2021 season, helping the team win the Copa del Rey.
With now potential rumors of his exit from the club emerging, it could be possible that the no. 10 jersey for Barcelona will be vacant again, but Xavi believed another way as he is optimistic about Fati’s future at the club.
The jersey selling of Ansu Fati’s jersey is surprisingly not even among the top six of his club teammates as the likes of Lewandowski, Gavi, Pedri, Raphinha, and Dembele lead the charts.
Ah I don't know who got the idea to give ansu fati the "no.10 shirt. "
He is mid. He can't even assist an offside goal.what sort of player Is this? pic.twitter.com/delTIEYSWJ— The StoneCold Official 💰 (@AJnr120) February 12, 2023
Barcelona could possibly take the no.10 away from the Spaniard as their financial crisis didn’t allow them to afford such debilitate condition as a large part of their income has come from this and they will be eyeing to raise the number as higher as they can.
