Yamal Becomes Barcelona’s New No.10—Joining Legendary Company

It’s been a long time coming, but LaLiga champions Barcelona have finally announced that their vacant No. 10 shirt will be worn by Lamine Yamal starting from next season, with the prodigious young winger inheriting one of the most storied squad numbers in all football.

A litany of greats have borne Barça’s No. 10, and several more have struggled under the weight of it; fantastically gifted star names such as Juan Román Riquelme and Jari Litmanen both fell some way shy of their full prowess whilst sporting the most portentous of Blaugrana jerseys Lamine Yamal.

Ansu Fati had been the most recent inhabitant of the Barça No. 10 shirt after inheriting it from one Lionel Messi in 2021-22, but the young forward has seen his progress blighted by inconsistent form and fitness and has since left the club on loan to AS Monaco, clearing the way for a new occupant of the jersey [Lamine Yamal].

And so the mantle falls to 18-year-old Yamal, who has already shown himself to be a rare talent destined to take his place among the true heavyweights who have made that shirt their own over the years.

Here we have a rundown of what could well be the 10 finest players to wear the No. 10 shirt regularly at Barcelona since the designated squad number system was introduced to Spanish football in the late 1940s. So stacked is the roster that there wasn’t even room for the likes of playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, striker Gary Lineker, and even 1950s hero Evaristo, who all have to make do with an honorary mention.

1. **Laszlo Kubala**
Arguably the very first bona fide superstar to regularly occupy Barcelona’s revered No. 10 shirt, Kubala was the Hungarian ace who fled his homeland as a refugee and ended up in Catalonia, where he adopted the revered Blaugrana jersey in 1951. He went on to wear the No. 10 shirt across three different stints during a trophy-laden decade at the club. The powerful striker, affectionately known as “Big Head,” scored 194 goals (a figure that still puts him fifth on the club’s list of all-time top goal scorers) and won 14 major honors, earning him a statue outside Camp Nou.

2. **Luis Suárez**
No, not that Luis Suárez (he wore the No. 9 shirt). Luis Suárez Miramontes was a contemporary of Kubala and was often deployed as a skillful inside forward alongside his Hungarian teammate during the latter half of the 1950s. The Spain international proved to be such a pivotal part of that star-studded Barça side that he was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1960, the year before he left the club to join Inter Milan.

3. **Diego Maradona**

After proving himself to be a precocious talent during a whirlwind year at Boca Juniors, Maradona was immediately given the No. 10 jersey when he signed for Barcelona after the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain for what was then a world record transfer fee of £5 million. The dazzling forward spent two injury-marred seasons at Camp Nou, and while his goal return was impressive (38 goals in 58 games in all competitions), his temperament and conduct were constantly brought into question. Things came to a nasty conclusion after the 1984 Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club when a barrage of provocation saw Maradona angrily lash out, brawl with several opponents, and ultimately seal his premature exit from Barça in one fell swoop. He left to join Napoli, where he spent the best years of his career and sealed his place among the very best players of all time by leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986. While Lamine Yamal replace him.

4. **Michael Laudrup**
While perhaps not the most flashy or mercurial of Barcelona’s No. 10s, Laudrup is still revered by purists as one of the most consistent and poised central midfielders ever to have played the game. After cementing his credentials at Juventus, the Danish star was lured to Camp Nou by the prospect of playing under his idol, Johan Cruyff, and swiftly became an important part of the “Dream Team” assembled by the legendary Dutch coach. Laudrup won nine major honors in five seasons with Barça during the early 1990s, including four LaLiga titles and a European Cup before making the controversial decision to leave for Real Madrid in 1994.

5. **Pep Guardiola**
After coming through the La Masia academy at Barcelona, the 20-year-old Guardiola was granted first-team regular status for the 1991-92 campaign and, despite ostensibly being a deep-lying central midfielder, was saddled with the No. 10 jersey. Unfortunately, the youngster was unable to score a single goal with the weighty number on his back and was soon swapped to a more appropriate squad number (No. 4) the following season, with the more attack-minded Guillermo Amor stepping into the numerical breach for 1992-93 and 1993-94.

6. **Romário**
After scoring goals for fun with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Romário signed for Barcelona in 1993-94 to spearhead the attacking line of Cruyff’s Dream Team ensemble alongside Hristo Stoichkov, Laudrup, and José Maria Bakero. The Brazil international scored 30 goals in 33 games to finish as LaLiga’s top marksman while Barça galloped to the league title. However, his tumultuous relationship with Cruyff soon soured, and a patchy second season ended prematurely with his departure.