FC Barcelona has decided to hand its iconic No. 10 shirt to 17-year-old forward Lamine Yamal for the 2025-26 campaign, Spanish and French media including Mundo Deportivo, L’Équipe and RMC Sport reported on 27-28 June. The number became vacant after Ansu Fati agreed a loan move to AS Monaco, ending his four-season stint as Messi’s immediate successor. The club has not yet issued a formal statement, but Yamal hinted at the change by posting a photo of Diego Maradona wearing Barcelona’s No. 10 on Instagram, while his father wrote that the teenager “deserves” the number. An announcement is expected once the Spain international turns 18 on 13 July, when Barcelona also plans to celebrate his contract renewal through 2031. Barcelona’s decision is already resonating commercially. On 2 July the club and Nike launched the gradient-stripe home kit for 2025-26 and said they broke their single-day record for shirt sales within hours, driven largely by fans customising jerseys with “Yamal 10” despite the absence of official confirmation. Exact sales figures were not disclosed. Yamal, who registered 18 goals and 21 assists in 55 appearances last season while Barcelona captured a domestic treble and reached the Champions League semi-finals, will become the latest in a lineage that includes Maradona, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi to wear the No. 10 at the Camp Nou.