Lamine Yamal Picks Lionel Messi’s Former Number as Barcelona Registers for New Season

• Lamine Yamal was recently enlisted amongst Barcelona's first-team squad ahead of the new 2024/25 season
• The Spanish youngster, alongside compatriot, Pau Cubarsi, was promoted to the first team set up by the Catalan club
• A report detailing the jersey number the fleet-footed forward has opted for following his promotion has recently surfaced

Barcelona has officially registered Lamine Yamal as a first-team player for the upcoming season after his exceptional performance in the 2023/24 campaign.

The young forward, who captivated fans and opponents alike, continued to impress with his outstanding play at the recent UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.

However, as is synonymous with La Liga clubs, registration in the first-team comes with a switch in number.

This is primarily due to La Liga rules, as reported by Goal, that allow first-team players to wear numbers only between 1 and 25.

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Nonetheless, Yamal opted for a surprise number previously worn by club icon Lionel Messi.

Yamal picks Messi's jersey number

According to a report from Catalan outlet, Jijantes, Yamal chose the number 19 jersey, a shirt previously worn by Messi during his early years at Barcelona.

There were suggestions that the youngster would opt for the number 10 shirt or the number 27 recently made available by Marcos Alonso's departure. However, Yamal surprisingly selected the number 19 jersey.

A series of notable players have previously donned the number 19 shirt, including Messi, Franck Kessie, Fernando Torres, Sergio Agüero, and most recently, Vitor Roque.

Yamal is expected to feature more prominently for Barcelona in the upcoming season under the leadership of new manager Hansi Flick.

According to data from FotMob, the young forward has recorded 14 goal involvements in his 51 appearances for the La Liga powerhouse so far.

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Messi watches Inter Miami with strapped foot after Copa injury

In other stories, Briefly News shared that Lionel Messi was present at Inter Miami's latest game despite nursing a ligament injury in his right ankle. Messi picked up the injury in the second half of Argentina's game against Colombia in the Copa America final.

Inter Miami won the game against Toronto FC 3-1 to return to the top of the Eastern Conference table.

Source: TUKO.co.ke