Lamine Yamal changes jersey number and follows Lionel Messi’s path at Barcelona

Barcelona’s season is nearing its end, and as always, preparations for the next one are already underway. It’s expected to be a challenging summer for the board, as bringing in new signings will require others to leave. However, one name remains untouchable in this project: Lamine Yamal.

The academy product is only 17 years old, yet this is already his third season with Barça’s first team. So far, he’s won two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, a Spanish Super Cup, and a European Championship, playing an important role in every title except his first league win.

For that reason, the club is already working to turn him into one of its biggest stars. So far, the Twitter account Memorabilia 1899 has confirmed what was becoming more and more apparent: Lamine will wear the number 10 jersey next season.

This change will happen once he turns 18 on July 13. At that time, the club also plans to extend his contract until 2030, with a significantly improved salary that would place him just below Barça’s top earners.

Still, this salary increase won’t cause headaches for the front office when registering his contract. Back in April, LaLiga introduced a clause allowing clubs to renew players under 24 even without salary cap space, as long as the player has been fully contracted by the same club for at least three consecutive seasons—a requirement Lamine clearly meets.

Uncertainty around Ansu Fati

The number 10 jersey currently belongs to Ansu Fati, but his future at Barça looks uncertain. Regardless of whether the 22-year-old stays or goes, the iconic number will be passed on to Lamine Yamal.