Messi shone with it and Ansu suffered, this will happen with Barça’s 10 shirt

Ansu Fati was officially announced as a new Brighton & Hove Albion player. The Spanish player traveled to England, underwent medical tests and signed his contract. Thus, the Premier League side will have him on loan for one year and, at the end of the 2023/24 season, he will return to Barcelona, where he has a contract until June 2027 and an exit clause of €1 billion.

With Ansu's departure, the Catalan side will have the number 10 jersey vacant. The winger had started wearing it in 2021, but never lived up to expectations. Injuries and his irregular performance prevented him from earning a place in Xavi Hernandez's team, and in recent years he was almost always a substitute.

Undoubtedly Fati failed in his mission to replace Lionel Messi. The Argentine forward wore the 10 of Barcelona for 13 years, between 2008 and 2021, and made history with it. In that time he became the world's top soccer star, won 3 Champions League and 7 Ballon d'Or awards. In addition, he broke the historical records for most games, most goals and most titles in the history of the Catalan club.

Now the question is who will take on the responsibility of wearing that shirt. Some believe it should be Ilkay Gundogan, who arrived in Spain this summer after shining at Manchester City. Others believe Lamine Yamal is the ideal option, but the pressure of wearing Barcelona's No. 10 shirt at the age of 16 may be too much.

The favorite has not yet arrived

With only a few hours left until the transfer window closes, it is unclear whether Los Blaugranas will be able to sign more players. In case they can solve the financial fair play issues, perhaps Joao Felix will join the team from Atletico Madrid. The Portuguese winger could be the one chosen to wear the number 10 jersey.