- Lamine Yamal promoted to official first-team status at Barcelona
- Teenage prodigy needs new shirt number as a result of switch
- 17-year-old wore 27 on his back during breakout season in 2023/24
Barcelona have confirmed the new shirt number that Lamine Yamal will wear for the club after promoting the 17-year-old prodigy to official first-team status ahead of the new season.
Yamal played virtually every game for Barcelona across 2023/24 but wasn't officially registered as a first-team player, which is a more important distinction in Spanish football than elsewhere.
Now, having shone at Euro 2024 and further underlined his status as one of the best players in the world already, it an obvious step to make at club level. But with first-team status at Barcelona also comes a new shirt number.
Team numbers in Spain are 1-25 and Yamal has so far worn 27. However, going forward the Spanish star will sport the number 19 - the same he wore for his nation at Euro 2024.
Club legend Lionel Messi initially broke through from La Masia with number 30 on his back and then traded down to 19 once he had become an official member of the first-team squad in 2005. He continued to use 19 until Ronaldinho left Camp Nou in 2008, at which point the burgeoning superstar moved to 10.
Other Barca players to have worn 19 over the years – with varying success – include Patrick Kluivert when he first moved from AC Milan, Maxwell, Ibrahim Afellay, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Martin Braithwaite, Sergio Aguero and Franck Kessie, to name just a few.
Yamal taking over the shirt also has implications for Vitor Roque, who wore it during the first half of 2024 following his January arrival from Athletico Paranaense. The Brazilian forward has struggled to justify the transfer fee paid for him and has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this month.
