Messi wore the No. 10 from Ronaldinho’s departure in the summer of 2008 until his own exit from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. At the time, there was speculation that the jersey might be left vacant to avoid putting that kind of pressure on any other player, but it was eventually given to Ansu Fati.

At that time, the forward—born in Guinea-Bissau and naturalized as a Spanish citizen—was just 18 years old and had played fewer than 50 matches for the Catalan club, but there was high anticipation surrounding his potential based on what he had shown over the previous two seasons.

Fati had already broken several records in his short time as a professional: he was the second-youngest player to debut for Barcelona and the youngest to score a goal, at 16 years and 304 days. He also became the youngest La Liga champion. His performances earned him a spot on the Spanish national team, where he became the second-youngest debutant and the youngest goal scorer. All of those marks have since been surpassed by Lamine Yamal.

How did Ansu Fati fare with Barcelona’s No. 10 jersey?

Heading into the 2021–22 season, Barcelona faced the uncertainty of competing for the first time in nearly two decades without Lionel Messi on the field. Things didn’t go well, as they failed to win any trophies and were even eliminated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League—something that hadn’t happened in over 20 years.

Things weren’t much better for Fati, who struggled with physical issues throughout the year that limited his playing time. He ended the season with just 15 appearances and 6 goals across all competitions. The following year, his availability improved, featuring in 51 matches, but his performances declined (10 goals and 4 assists).

That led to the Spanish giants sending Ansu on loan for the 2023–24 season to Brighton & Hove Albion, where he also failed to impress. During that Premier League stint, Barcelona left the No. 10 shirt vacant.

After his time in England, Fati returned to the Blaugrana roster for the 2024–25 season, though his involvement was limited: he played just 11 matches without scoring or providing any assists. He was lower in head coach Hansi Flick’s pecking order behind players like Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Raphinha. That’s why this summer he was loaned out again—this time to AS Monaco.

Other stars who wore Barcelona’s No. 10 jersey

Lamine Yamal will soon join the list of stars who have worn Barcelona’s No. 10 shirt. Of course, the standout name is Lionel Messi, who wore it from 2008 to 2021 while establishing himself as the most important player in the club’s history. But before him, other icons also held that honor.

In the 1950s and 60s, Laszlo Kubala and Luis Suarez Miramontes shined in the No. 10, and later, Diego Armando Maradona wore it before making his move to Napoli. In the 1990s, a tradition of Brazilian stars followed, with Romario and Rivaldo, eventually leading to Ronaldinho—Messi’s mentor.

The club’s policy of promoting prospects to the senior squad has been extremely successful this century, and Xavi Hernandez‘s return to Camp Nou as manager in November 2021 helped Barca recover this principle.

The Spaniard has given room to the likes of Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, among other academy graduates. However, not all of them are stories of success, as there’s a Barca gem whose worth has been on decline in the last few years.

The downfall in Ansu Fati’s market value

When Ansu Fati made his debut with Barcelona at 16, it felt like they had a generational talent in front of their eyes. The winger immediately established himself in the senior roster, and his market value was through the roof.

According to Transfermarkt, Fati’s worth reached €80 million in October 2020, when he was 17. Flash-forward to June 2023, his value at 20 years old is €35 million.

Sadly, his fantastic progress was hampered by injuries, taking a toll on his market value. Even when he recovered, Ansu struggled to play like his true self in Spain, and didn’t get to recover his spot in the starting eleven.

Why did Ansu Fati leave Barcelona?

Ansu Fati joined Brighton on a season-long loan hoping to find more playing time as Xavi couldn’t guarantee him that at Barcelona. At 20, he still has plenty of time to get his career back on track.

It was a tough breakup both for Leo and the club. While the 7x Ballon d’Or winner struggled to settle in at the Parc des Princes, Barca were unable to string good results together amid a financial crisis.

The Catalan side tried to move on by giving Ansu Fati the No. 10 jersey previously worn by Messi, but things didn’t go to plan. The Spanish youngster was sent to Brighton on loan this summer, and the club made a surprising decision with the shirt.

Barcelona’s decision on the historic No. 10 jersey

For the first time since 1995, no Barcelona player is using the emblematic No. 10 shirt. Even though they have a star-studded squad this season, no one picked up the number left by Ansu Fati’s departure.

Robert Lewandowski will continue wearing No. 9, Ikay Gundogan chose No. 22, Pedri is happy with his No. 8 and Gavi is not changing the No. 6. Joao Felix, meanwhile, has been given the No. 14 shirt.

How long has Lionel Messi played for Barcelona?

Lionel Messi spent 21 years at Barcelona, joining the academy ‘La Masia’ as a 13-year-old kid in 2000. As a professional player, he played 17 seasons at Barca.

What’s Lionel Messi’s contract at Inter Miami?

Lionel Messi signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Inter Miami, keeping him tied with the MLS team through 2025.

This season, Fati has found himself playing a supporting role for Xavi and has struggled to regain his previous level of play. After putting his fitness issues behind him, the 20-year-old is presently sixth on the team’s depth chart, behind Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Gavi, and Ferran Torres.

In light of the circumstances, new Spain manager Luis de la Fuente did not include the young forward in his squad for theEuro 2024 Qualifiersthis month.The La Masia product’s future at Camp Nou has been the subject of frequent rumors, with Europe’s leading clubs keeping a close eye on his status.

What didAnsu Fati’s father say about Barcelona?

Nevertheless, Ansu Fati’s father has now ripped at the Catalans on a Spanish radio show on Tuesday night called El Partidazo de COPE, claiming that he has advised the left winger to pursue his club career elsewhere. Now that his son’s career has taken a downward turn, Bori Fati is blaming the Blaugrana, saying theyshould have trusted him more.

“Ansu does not want to leave Barcelona, but I want to see him succeed. I won’t go to the stadium anymore, I’m very angry with the club. In a month we will meet with Jorge Mendes, for sure. It bothers me that Ansu plays so little. We’re talking about a player that is a Spanish international and came from La Masia. He deserves much more than that.

“Mateu Alemany tells me that Ansu is part of the club’s heritage. As a father, I have told Ansu that it is better for him to leave. But Ansu has told me that he does not agree with me on this. He wants to stay. If it was up to me, I would leave Barcelona tomorrow. I told Ansu that if the situation didn’t change, we would have to leave, but he tells me that I’m wrong.

“I really don’t understand how Ansu Fati has few minutes… We are talking about Barça’s number 10. Do you remember how people used to kill Vinicius two years ago? The same thing can happen with Ansu. All I’m asking is for people to protect him. He’s Barça’s No. 10 and comes fromLa Masia. I won’t criticize Real Madridbecause you never know about the circles that life gives. I don’t think my son likes them, though,” he said.

Despite various promising young attackers being compared to the Argentine World Cup winner, Bojan Krkic stood out since he resembled him even down to his hairstyle. When he debuted for Barcelona in La Liga in 2007, at 17 years and 19 days, the Spaniard surpassed Messi as the league’s youngest player.

Bojan ended up scoring 41 goals in 163 games with the club.After his most recent club,Vissel Kobe decided to no longer include him on their roster in January 2023, the32-year-old has been unable to get a new team despite previously having played in the Netherlands, Italy, England, Germany, and Canada.

What did Bojan Krkic say of the expectations set at Barcelona?

“Nobody taught me anything, I had to learn it. I had to compete against what people said about me, that they said I was ‘The new Messi’. At first, I did not understand how I could meet those expectations. Little by little I learned to move away from what people said, I knew my limits, I accepted them and I identified my strengths to set new goals”, Krkic said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca.

“You start to become aware of your arrival in the first team when the person you are now, becomes a character. You go from being someone anonymous, a kid who comes from his village, to someone everyone knows. Nobody teaches you any of that.”

Ansu Fati, who has also been called “the next Messi,” is another youngster who has gotten a lot of attention since the Argentine superstarleft Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain and was given the renowned No. 10 jersey.Bojan Krkic has also sounded a cautionary note about the high expectations placed on the 20-year-old and his recurring injury issues.

“I have experienced Ansu Fati’s case in my own body.I experienced firsthand what is happening to him. There is an enormous difference in treatment between the trust that is generated at the beginning, when everything goes well, and when things go wrong due to injury or any other reason.

“You generate a lot of enthusiasm at a time when the club need a ‘product’ from La Masia. And I don’t like to say it because I like to hear it, but that’s how we are treated.Players are treated like a product.”

Messi’s older brother, Matias, had a tirade against Barcelona. He even went ahead and called the Spanish side ‘traitors’,saying that theywould help get rid of president Joan Laporta, who was in control of the team when the 35-year-old left that summer.

With the club’s financial position still precarious, though, Matias Messi is the least of Barca’s concerns at the moment.The club’s officials still havea long way to go until they have fully fixed their situation, despite the fact that recent seasons have brought some improvement.

Which players would Barcelona be forced to get rid of this summer?

It has been reported by the Catalan outletMundo Deportivo that La Liga president Javier Tebas has demanded that the Catalans reduce their overall pay spend by more than €200 million.The most direct method would be to sell off some of Xavi Hernandez’s first-team players, but there are other options available to the club.

As Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto have just entered the last six months of their respective deals, their departures would be a big help in that sense. However, they may also have to cut ties with other high-earners if they want to achieve their goals.

That might lead to a move for a handful of players that English side, Manchester United havebeen eyeing for a while, including long-time target Frenkie de Jong, who turned down a transfer to Old Trafford last summer.It’s been said that there is still a lot of interest in him, and Barcelona might be willing to sell in order to satisfy the salary requirements of La Liga.

At Old Trafford, he may have a teammate from his present squad to play with. Also linked to the Red Devils is the Spanish super-talented striker Ansu Fati, who might be available at age 20 due to his high salary and lack of guaranteed playing time under Blaugrana manager Xavi.

Yet, manager Xavi Hernandez has only given him two La Liga starts in 11 games so far. Ferran Torres, Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele, and Memphis Depay are just a few of the manager’s possibilitieson the wings.

Despite having a rare spot in the starting lineup, in the first few months of the season, he has contributed three goals and three assists. A year ago almost to the day, Fati renewed his contract with Barcelona. He has a deal with the Catalan powerhouses until 2027, with an optionto extend it through 2029.

WhyXavi has upset Ansu Fati to point of possible Camp Nou exit

Barcelona rolled to yet another stunning victory atCamp Nou on Sunday night in La Liga as they defeated Athletic Club 4-0. This victory came only days after they defeated Villarreal 3-0, with the 19-year-old prodigy scoring a goal.In addition to making some significant tactical adjustments, Xavi changed up the starting lineup for the match in an effort to surprise theRed and Whites.

And in the end, his choices worked out well for the Blaugrana,who won decisively. Ansu Fati, though, is reportedly one player who feels unfairly treated as a result of the manager’s adjustments. The clubhavetaken great care to handle the Spaniard’s comeback from injury, and Xavi has been extremely cautious when playing the young player.

The attacker has only started three times so far this year,against Real Mallorca and Villarreal in La Liga, and once at Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Champions League. The method, however, does not seem to be warmly received by Fati’s entourage. Spanish journalist Joan Fontes claims that the former La Masia academy graduate was said to prefer starting over coming off the bench.

Contrarily, it is believed that Xavi and his staff do not share this view. Fati and his entourage are likely unhappy with the present situation since it might cost him a spot on Spain’s World Cup roster and comes only two weeks before the selection will be unveiled.

In addition,Jorge Mendes, who represents the player, believes that the talent’snatural development is being stunted due to a lack of playing time. The 19-year-old winger has allegedly vowed to leave the Calatan side if his playing time does not increase, as reported by Spanish media source Redioestadio Noche.

The September international window brings the final two rounds of the Nations League group stage, in which Spain are in a good spot. After four games, La Roja are atop Group 2 of League A with 8 points.

Still, they cannot underestimate their next matches, as Portugal are just one point behind. Before they take on Cristiano Ronaldo and company, Spain will face Switzerland. Here, find out why Ansu Fati will not take part in these games.

Why is Ansu Fati not playing for Spain?

Spain coach Luis Enrique submitted a 25-man roster in which he snubbed the Barcelona young star. Enrique later explained that he didn’t feel Ansu Fati was ready to return to the national team yet.

”We called him in June simply to get into group dynamics and to listen to what we want in the national team, have contact and really see how he was on the field,” Enrique said, via Gill Clark of SB Nation’s Barca Blaugranes. “The truth is he was much better, now he has been participating but at his club he has only started one game and that tells me something.

“He continues to have a wonderful relationship with the goal, I hope he recovers his level and we see the best Ansu, but today I do not see him ready for the squad and that is why I have not brought him. Hopefully he improves for the World Cup roster. He’s very young and we still have high expectations for him.”

Fati is undoubtedly one of the most promising prospects in Spain, but injuries have caught up with him early in his career. His World Cup chances are not over yet, but it looks like he’ll have to convince Enrique that he’s fit.

The most extraordinary thing is that there are players who are under 20 years oldwho occupy that role or enter as a fresh and key replacement for their teams. But which is the most expensive XI made up of U20 players?

Based on Transfermarkt data, the team would have a value of 521,000,000 euros. Gavi, valued at 60,000,000 euros and one of Barcelona’s star players, is not part of the team. The team’s most valuable player is worth more than Lionel Messi (60 million euros) and Cristiano Ronaldo (35 million euros).

The most expensive XI made up of U20 players

The team lineup is 4-3-3 and consists of three players from the Premier League, three from the Bundesliga, twofrom La Liga, one from the Ukrainian Premier League, one the Eredivisie, and the remainder from Ligue 1.

The goalkeeper is Anatoliy Trubin (FK Shajtar Donetsk), the 20-year-old has a market value of 8,000,000 euros, making him the cheapest player in the team. The line of four defenders is composed by Tino Livramento [19] (Southampton FC) of 25,000,000 euros, Josko Gvardiol [20] (RB Leipzig) with a value of 30,000,000 euros, Jurrien Timber [20] (Ajax) priced at 30,000,000 euros, and Nuno Mendes [19] (PSG) with a market value of 40,000,000 euros.

The team’s three midfielders are the most expensive on the squad. Pedri [19] (Barcelona) with a price of 80,000,000 euros, Jude Bellingham [18] (Borussia Dortmund) priced at 75,000,000 euros, and Florian Wirtz [19] (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) of 70,000,000 euros.

The team’s forwardsand goal scorers are Bukayo Saka [20] (Arsenal) who has a market value of 65,000,000 euros, Gabriel Martinelli [20] (Arsenal) of 38,000,000 euros and Ansu Fati [19] (Barcelona) priced at 60,000,000 euros.

Starting XI: Trubin, Livramento, Gvardiol, Timber, Mendes, Pedri, Bellingham, Wirtz, , Martinelli, and Fati.

Last week, the 19-year-old sensation raised concern at Camp Nou as he was forced off the domestic cup clash against Athletic Club after a knock. Hours later it was confirmedthat he would be unavailable for the upcoming games.

Everyone at the club was immediately worried about Fati’s availability for the remainder of the season, fearing that he would have to face yet another surgery. However, the Spain international has chosen not to go under the knife this time.

Ansu Fati chooses not to undergo surgery despite Barcelona’s advice

“The first team player Ansu Fati will follow a conservative recovery plan for the injury to the proximal tendon in his left hamstring. His recovery will dictate his return,” Barcelona said in a statement.

According to Marca, Fati made a decision againsttheclub’s officials, who feel that it would be better for theteenager to undergo surgery to avoid future problems over the same injury.

Ansu Fati’sordeal began in November 2020 with a season-ending injury. The forward eventually suffered multiple setbacks in the recovery process and had to wait until September to make his debut this season.

However, it didn’t take long for Ansu to be sidelined again as he missed two games in October through knee pain before a hamstring injury kept him out for two months. He returned to action in January against Real Madrid but a week later he was injured again. Only time will tellif he can put this nightmare behind him once and for all.

The 19-year-oldoffensive player entered the game after the one-hour markbut lasted only 35 minutes on the field before being replaced owing to a hamstring issue. A worrying fact is that it is his second hamstring injuryof the season, as the first one required surgery that kept him out of action for65 days, and a total of 11 games in all competitions.

“Tests carried out on the first team player Ansu Fati on Friday confirmed that he has a proximal tendon injury in the hamstring of his left leg. In the coming days, the treatment to be carried out will be decided”, said the La Ligaclub in a statement.

How long will Ansu Fati be sidelined?

Reputable Catalan media closeto Barcelona claim that Fati’s rehabilitation period is estimated to be aroundsix to eightweeks. On the other hand, it isDiario AS whorevealthat the club has proposed to the player to undergo a new surgery and solve the problem for good.

A fresh newintervention is believed to bethe safest solution, but the drawback is that it could rule the Spanish winger for at least three months. The period of rehabilitation from tendon surgery isthreeto fivemonths, but whether he wouldundergo a surgical procedureor choose a moreconservative treatment, is up to nobody else but theplayer himself.

Depending on the intensity and speed of his recovery, Faticould even be ruled out for the remainder of the season. The all-time youngest debutant in the Spanish national teamhas had no luck at all with injuries in the past yearsafter emerging from the La Masia academy, having beensidelined up to 413 days, and 75 games forthe Catalan team, as per Transfermarkt.