FC Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamil used an interview with Mundo Deportivo to register his interest in inheriting club legend Lionel Messi’s iconic number 10 shirt.
Comparisons between the 16-year-old and a figure viewed by many as being the best player of all time began in preseason.
Coming off the bench in the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Tottenham Hotspur, Lamine single-handedly mounted a comeback for the Catalans as part of a devastating cameo in the traditional fixture which many felt was its best individual performance since his fellow La Masia graduate dazzled Juventus in 2005.
Back then, in August, Lamine was still a fringe player and given the number 27. In the months that have followed, however, as the 2023/2024 campaign has progressed, the Mataro native has taken advantage of the opportunities afforded to him with Raphinha out injured to nail down the starting berth on the right wing.
Viewed as the future of the club to the extent that president Joan Laporta confirmed he rejected a $216 million bid for the teenager from Barca’s Champions League quarterfinals foes Paris Saint-Germain, Lamine is a possible candidate to don the ’10’ one day and was pushed to discuss the topic by Mundo Deportivo.
Lamine pointed out that the jersey still has an owner in Ansu Fati, who is currently out on loan at Brighton. But he also said that “if in the end he is not still here”, being awarded such an honour “would be a source of pride”.
It would be a dream for any child to be Barcelona’s number 10. Nobody in this world would say no, but it’s something that the club has to manage,” he added.
Irrespective of what shirt he wears, Lamine above all wants to “be a Barca legend”.
