“These are my goals” - Lamine Yamal reveals what he wants to achieve next season after inheriting Lionel Messi’s iconic no.10 shirt at Barcelona

Lamine Yamal has outlined his goals for the upcoming season after inheriting Lionel Messi's fabled No. 10 shirt at Barcelona. The Spanish forward was handed the iconic jersey on Wednesday at an official ceremony to celebrate his new deal.

The 18-year-old finished the 2024-25 season with 18 goals and 25 assists from 55 games. The Catalans have subsequently made him their new No. 10.

Ansu Fati vacated the shirt after moving to Monaco on loan this summer. Fati had taken the shirt following Lionel Messi's departure in 2021, but failed to live up to the billing.

Lamine Yamal, however, is already among the finest forwards in the league, and is the face of Barcelona's future. All signs indicate that the youngster will be quite comfortable wearing the fabled shirt.

Speaking at his unveiling as the Catalans' new No. 10, Yamal said that he is aiming to win the Champions League and the World Cup next.

"My goals for this new season? Winning the Champions League and the World Cup. These are my goals now," said Yamal.

Interestingly, Barcelona last won the Champions League in the 2014-15 season, when Lionel Messi was their No.10. Should Lamine Yamal manage to guide them to the prestigious trophy next season, he will etch his name in the club's folklore.

What has Lamine Yamal said about wearing Lionel Messi's No. 10 shirt at Barcelona?

Lamine Yamal has expressed a desire to create his own history after taking up the No. 10 shirt at Barcelona. The fabled number attained cult status on Lionel Messi's shoulders, but lost some of its shine following his departure.

Speaking to the press, as cited by Barca Universal, Yamal insisted that he will try to make all fans happy again.

“Messi has made his own path, I’m going to make mine, and the number 10 comes from Ansu now. So, I will try to make all the Cules happy, those who are there and those who are at home,” said Yamal.

Yamal also remained hopeful of continuing in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Messi, all previous history makers with the No. 10 shirt.

“I hope so, they are three legends of football, three legends of this club. I would take everything from each of them. Grateful for the club’s trust, and I will try to continue that legacy,” said Yamal.

Lamine Yamal has scored 25 goals and set up 34 more from 106 games for Barcelona to date.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit