What Awaits Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's New Number 10: Ranking How Lamine Yamal Compares to Previous Barcelona 10s
On July 16th, just a few days after his 18th birthday, Barcelona starboy, Lamine Yamal, put pen to paper on a new deal that ties him to his childhood club until 2031. But aside from penning a new contract, Lamine Yamal also inherited the revered Barcelona number 10 jersey. So, what awaits the vaunted Lamine Yamal with the 10-digit number on the back of his shoulders? Let's take a look!
Lamine Yamal has been hitting headlines over the past few weeks. Now, he has been hitting headlines for much longer than that, but I am specifically referring to his off-field antics.
First, it was the holidaying with a 27-year-old model that fueled relationship rumours, something that source close to the player have refuted; then there was his 18th birthday party in which he is accused of hiring 'dwarves' for entertainment, something that is against Spanish laws. The dwarves who were at the party have since responded to this by stating that they were treated respectfully and that this was their job.
But the biggest headline that he has made was signing a new contract with his boyhood club, Futbol Club Barcelona, where he has more than 'burst onto the scene'. On a sunny afternoon in the Catalan capital, Lamine Yamal sauntered into the Barcelona offices accompanied by his grandmother and father for the signing of his contract as an adult Barcelona player. The man who left the premises a boy at the end of the season now walked backed in a man as per the letter of the law but also by expectation, because he was also getting the number 10 jersey.
There was no better juxtaposition of the transition from being a boy to being a man than him being handed the number 10 jersey, a jersey that carries with it generational expectations, a halo of football's Holy Grail of talent and achievement. Maradona, Romario, Riquelme, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho then Messi, the flagbearer of the flagbearers of the number ten jersey. There was also Ansu Fati but we can no longer burden him with our expectations now, can we? These are just some of the names that weigh on Lamine Yamal as we enter into the 2025/26 season.
If you are not too familiar with football, Lamine Yamal getting this jersey at 18 would be like getting that corner office after only a year at your new job. Yes, it's that impressive.
Yet, to Lamine Yamal, this seems to just be another day in the office. When he was given a chance to press his name and number on the back of his jersey, he did so while whistling, as seen on this YouTube short from the FC Barcelona YouTube page:
Hmm, Indeed, he is a man, alright.
He walked back into Barcelona FC premises a man ready to take on the burden of expectations.
No Pressure - Lamine Yamal
Following his renewal and the new jersey number, the Barcelona prodigy was quick to point out that he was under no pressure and that the weight of the number would not stop him from enjoying his football.
"What this renewal means is that I will continue to play for the club of my life. I am under no pressure; I'll continue enjoying myself with a different number. Looking up to legends like Messi, Ronaldinho and Diego Maradona. Every child dreams of taking something from them and I will try to continue their legacy with the number 10." Lamine Yamal said as quoted by Goal.com.
Yamal was full of praise for Lionel Messi, the man who put the brightest sheen on the crown that is the number 10 jersey, referring to him as 'someone who always leaves an impact.'
"For me, he is the best player in history. Everything he did on and off the field impressed me, and he gives me a sense of awe in everything. Everywhere in the world he goes, he leaves an impact." Lamine Yamal said, referring to his receipt of Messi's iconic number as 'something beautiful.'
On his expectations of the season, Lamine Yamal instantly spoke about team achievements, proving that he was well aware that the expectation on his back with this new jersey number and knowing he needed to do more than just look good wearing it. His legacy would be written by the trophies he wins, just as much as the ankles he breaks.
"I haven't won the Champions League, so I want to win the Champions League and the World Cup," Said Lamine Yamal when asked about his goals going into next season. This response underlined his deep understanding of the importance of team success in building a lasting legacy, especially with the weight of the number 10 jersey on his shoulders.
So, what expectations do the number 10 bring to Lamine Yamal?
Consistent, Mind-Blowing Performances
Now I imagine this won't be too hard for Lamine Yamal consider his persistently mesmeric performances last season. He has a whole catalogue of games where he took the match by the scruff of its neck and dragged Barcelona to victory. He was influential in both legs against Real Madrid in La
Liga, as well as during the Super Copa final. He was the man who dragged Barcelona to victory in the run-up to the title win, delivering goals against Real Madrid and Espanyol, and those are just from memory. He was Barca's talisman last season and was consistent and present when needed, so he has this base of expectation covered. 10/10.
Breaking Ankles
This is another part of his game that he has covered. Lamine Yamal at several points last season was unplayable, dizzying defenders with skill and elan as he rushed past their flailing limbs and flying tackles like they were training cones. That slaloming run past Alaves players at the Montjuic immediately comes to mind. As with Messi, Maradona, and Ronaldinho before him, the new Barcelona number 10 is a spectacle with the ball at his feet and is a nightmare for opposing teams already, so that is a weight he is already bearing. 10/10.
Goals
Last season, his breakout season, Lamine Yamal scored an astounding 21 goals. Impressive, right? Well, he also followed that up with an impressive 22 assists. Almost perfectly balanced. Once again, when it comes to goals, Lamine Yamal has it covered. Let us not be blinded by Messi's truly incomprehensible goal-scoring tally. Lamine Yamal isn't going to hit those figures based on current evidence, nor should we expect him to do so.
However, just like Messi, he is already carving a name for himself football with that curled finish to the far post cutting in from the left. That finish past Courtois in the second leg El Clasico immediately jumps to mind. But there was that goal against Benfica too, or the one against Villareal. Or maybe it was the one against Monaco in the Champions League.
Look, the kid has goals in his locker, so he also has this part of the number 10 expectation covered. 9/10. I didn't give him a 10 out of ten because I know he can improve his goal tally from his current output.
Trophies
Lamine Yamal already has four trophies in his cabinet for Barcelona at just 18. Two La Liga crowns, one Supercopa and one Copa Del Rey. Not too bad for someone entering only their third full season as a professional footballer.
Now, trophies depend just as much on Lamine Yamal and his magic as it does on the people he is surrounded with. Now, you could argue that his current teammates are not quite as extraordinary as Messi's Barcelona teammates at the start of his career, but make no mistake, this Barcelona team is still full of potential all-timers. Pedri in midfield, Cubarsi in defense and others are all a much better accompaniment for Yamal than Lenglet, Artur and Semedo were to Messi toward the end of his Barcelona time.
That said, Barcelona is no longer the dominant force it was during Messi's early time for the club, and as such, I don't expect Barcelona to dominate La Liga as they did under Messi. Still, though, Lamine Yamal is a player capable of dragging his team to a title as Messi did before him. 8/10.
Attitude
When asked about expectations and criticism, Lamine Yamal had this to say:
"The truth is I'm indifferent to both criticism and praise, unless it comes from my family or people very close to me, because otherwise, one day I'll be very high and the next I'll be very low."
Once again, while he might biologically still be a boy, this is a man in his reasoning and handling of expectations. I expect that he will be much, much more divisive than Messi ever was, and be much more vocal about his accomplishments as well.
While Messi had that quiet determination with only the occasional moment of madness, especially when he was angry and locked in, Lamine Yamal looks likely to go the opposite way - in your face at all times, full of bravado and capable of backing it. After all, this was the player who, before each big match last season, would put up statuses on his Instagram talking about being 'on a mission', or sharing an intense images along with intense music to show he was locked in, like when he shared an image of Goku going Super Saiyan before the Inter Mila return leg, along with the song Nightmare by Myke Towers.
Even when things don't go his way, as the Inter Milan game, don't expect him to cower and retreat. He will still post those cryptic messages, share those intense images and let you know that he is coming for your throat. It is up to you to move accordingly. In this regard, he takes more from Maradona, Romario, and maybe even Ronaldinho. He has the approachability and cheekiness of Ronaldinho, while still having that 'I-am-better-than-you-and-I-know-it' of the late Diego Armando Maradona. 10/10 on attitude.
While there were doubts in many people's minds about whether or not it was too soon to give Ansu Fati the number 10, there have been no such doubts on Lamine Yamal. The agreement has been unanimous - He might still be a boy biologically speaking, but he is a man in stature. Give it to him!
Anyway, I am done and out but do tell me what you think about Lamine Yamal getting the number 10 jersey. Do you think he will continue his upward trajectory and justify the new number, or do you think the expectations might become too much? Let me know in the comments and have a 10/10 day, will you.
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