Lamine Yamal was first handed the number 27 jersey after being promoted to the Barcelona first team but is now set to wear a new jersey number in the coming season once sported by Lionel Messi.
Ever since he made his breakthrough at Barcelona, the Euro 2024 star has drawn comparisons with arguably the best footballer of all-time and his idol Lionel Messi.
Yamal’s emergence is similar to that of Messi because it is coming at a time when Barcelona need a superstar to compete with Real Madrid’s galacticos.
With the UEFA Champions League defending champions’ signing of Kylian Mbappé, the hope will be that the Spanish wonderkid helps Hansi Flick’s to side stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their arch-rivals.
Despite still being a schoolboy, he was Barcelona’s best player last season, offering a glimmer of hope to the fans with his performances after the club lost their crown to arch-rivals Real Madrid.
He made his first start for Barcelona in a La Liga fixture against Cádiz last August and hasn’t looked back since then, making 37 appearances in the Spanish topflight.
The 17-year-old ended the campaign with five goals and eight assists which was enough for him to scoop the La Liga U23 Player of the Season award.
Yamal continued his meteoric rise to stardom in Euro 2024 where he helped Spain scoop the title, starring alongside Nico Williams in La Roja’s attack and was named the Young Player of the Tournament.
With the new La Liga season looming, Barcelona have handed him the number 19 jersey, which was also worn by Messi during his time with the Catalonia club.
His comparison with the Argentine superstar won’t go anywhere as fans will be hoping he replicates the success recorded by his idol.
It is going to be a daunting task as the talented forward will be needing the help of his international teammates Pedri and Gavi to help lead Barcelona into another successful era.
