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Barcelona superstar, Ansu Fati has stated that he feels ‘no pressure’ after taking on the responsibility of the No 10 shirt that Lionel Messi wore at Barcelona.
The Catalan giants were unable to retire Messi’s shirt after he joined PSG as the Spanish FA’s rules require LaLiga teams to assign their 25-man squad the numbers 1-25. Barcelona then made the decision to hand it to another graduate of the club’s famed La Masia academy instead.
Fati, who swapped from No 17 to 10, scored his frist goal in the shirt during Barcelona’s victory over Levante over the weekend.
Speaking after the game, the youngster says he feels proud rather than nervous when it comes to wearing the jersey.
He said: ‘It is not a pressure. I am proud to wear the number 10 after Leo. I am happy with the club and captains for the opportunity.’
Barcelona released as statement at the start of the month outlining why ‘record breaker’ Fati was the perfect player to be filing Messi’s shoes.
”Ansu Fati has a new shirt number. After wearing the No 22 then No 17, the young Barca striker will proudly wear the number 10 shirt – a famous jersey previously worn by legends such as Leo Messi, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo,’ the statement read.
Despite being just 18 years of age and still recovering from injury, Ansu Fati forms part of Barca’s history as a record breaker and also with the Spanish national side.
‘Since his debut in August 2019, the youngster has set records in the league and Champions League.
‘Just six days after his debut for the first team he became the youngest ever player to score in the league for FC Barcelona. He is a record breaker who will now wear the magical No 10 shirt.’
The No 10 shirt at Barcelona carries a lot of weight – having been previously worn by Diego Maradona, Pep Guardiola, Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.
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