Was Giving Messi’s Number 10 To Ansu Fati A Mistake By FC Barcelona?

After the Argentine switched to Paris Saint Germain as a free agent, Ansu Fati was commended for his bravery in stepping and taking Lionel Messi’s number 10 jersey at FC Barcelona.

Signing a new contract until 2027 with a $1.17bn release clause, the 19-year-old is obviously thought of highly by the club in addition to the world of football who unitedly regard him as one of the sport’s brightest young talents.

Bursting on the scene as a 16-year-old in 2019 and breaking a number of goalscoring records, we have unfortunately seen very little of him since a mensical laceration in November 2020 that saw him ruled out for 305 days and miss 47 matches in total.

Just this season alone he has been unavailable for 15 fixtures, and his breaking down in tears to coach Xavi Hernandez after being hauled off in the Copa del Rey last 16 defeat to Athletic Club in Bilbao, thanks to a repetition of the same hamstring knock late last year that he was only just returning from, have led some to believe he may need professional help to get over his latest setback.

As reports vary from Fati being out for two months or three to four if he undergoes surgery, debate in Spain is raging as to whether Barca put too much pressure on his shoulders by giving him the “added burden of wearing the number 10”. “In addition to the shirt, he has inherited Messi’s tears. It’s unsettling,” said El Pais’ Ramon Besa during the El Sanhedrin show on El Larguero this week.

“He is a boy with extraordinary conditions and it is a pleasure to watch him play,” added Manuel Jabois on the same program. “[But] I don’t know until what point it was good to give the number 10 to Ansu Fati so early. It’s a very reckless thing,” he claimed.

Of course there is no turning back now, as stripping the prodigy of the shirt would do his confidence even further damage. But all the Catalans can hope for is that the Guinea-born sensation finally turns a corner and can start putting together the run of games that has evaded him for some time. Thankfully whenever called upon from the bench as part of his latest comeback, game-changing goals have never been in short of supply.