It is a new order at Barcelona and Lamine Yamal is the commander-in-chief for the Catalan giants as he showed his growing influence at the club last season and today declared that he is not Messi but his own self.
Softfootball understand that the player who just the Spanish international has officially inherited the number 10 jersey vacated by arguably the greatest football player to ever play the game, Lionel Messi.
The Argentine broke all all records for Barcelona and conquered Spain before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain then Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS).
According to Goal, Yamal’s new contract will be until 2031 and he will wear the number 10 jersey for next season after putting on the no.19 last campaign.
The last player to wear the no.10 jersey was Ansu Fati, who joined Monaco on loan. The iconic number 10 was previously worn by club legends Messi, Diego Maradona, and Ronaldinho.
After signing his contract extension, Yamal boldly proclaimed:
“Messi has made his path, I will make my own. Messi, [Diego] Maradona, and Ronaldinho are three football legends. They have been three incredible players, Messi still is. I’ll try to follow that legacy.”
Interestingly, Yamal is among the favourites to win this year’s Ballon d’Or despite being just 18. Yamal has already been anointed the heir apparent to the great Messi after a stunning season in 2024-25. Yamal played a key role as Barcelona won La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
Yamal’s new contract will guarantee him a weekly wage of a whopping £325,000 a week, which equates to €15 million (£12.5m/$17m) per season as a base salary, potentially rising to €20m (£17m/$23m) with bonuses.
Softfootball reported earlier that Lamine Yamal is under investigation after 18-year birthday bash. Yamal’s 18-year-old secret birthday party is currently causing a lot of conflicts as he is under investigation on what transpired at the event only close friends and teammates were allowed to attend.
Yamal resumed pre-season with Barcelona this week and would hope that it is devoid of controversies or distraction as they prepare for the 2025-26 season.
