No Barça player will wear number 10 on their shirt this season.
Messi inherited it from Ronaldinho and Ansu was the replacement for the Argentine star
Of Maradona to Messi. Going by Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. And then Ansu. And now no one. It is surprising that the number 10, one of the most emblematic in the world of football, has been orphaned at Barça for the first time since 1995, the year in which the numbers began to be fixed. The dizzying dance of arrivals and departures of the Blaugrana squad this summer has ended with a strange Barça without 10. Ansu’s departure to English Brighton has led to this unusual circumstance.
The youth squad took on the gigantic challenge of bringing the number of Messi when the Argentine star, the best player in history, had to leave the Blaugrana club two seasons ago. But, unfortunately, injuries hampered the performance of Ansu and the forward has had to emigrate in search of the minutes he did not have in the Blaugrana team. For his part, Laporta made a desperate (and impractical) attempt to recover Messibut there was no formal offer (financially unviable) and the forward ended up signing for Inter Miami of the MLS.
The carom’Messi does not come-Ansu ‘is leaving’ has caused the 10 to be left without an owner. And this will surely be the case for the remainder of the campaign. It is true that the number does not make the footballer. And that, perhaps, everything is an anecdotal detail that only those of us who are nostalgic value. But this coincidence says a lot about the lack of references in the current Barça, waiting for the young people to one day become the leaders of the future project. The weight of history is enormous, especially because Messithe player who wore number 10 for the longest number of years (a total of 13 seasons, since he took over from Ronaldinho in 2008 until he had to go to PSG in 2021) is irreplaceable. Any comparison with the Argentine star is unbearable.
SYMBOLIC RETIREMENT OF THE 10
Therefore, perhaps Barça should consider creating a story taking advantage of this coincidental circumstance: ‘retiring’ the number 10 symbolically (officially it is not legal according to LaLiga regulations) forever and thus being able to pay an eternal tribute to Messi. Given that Messi He will not play for Barça again, unless no one wears his number 10 again. It would be a nice way to pay homage to the most decisive footballer in the club’s history. There is not and will never be another player at Barça with the talent of Messi. And that shirt with the 10 is much more than a simple number: it is the heritage of Barcelona fans.