After agreeing to a new deal with a €1 billion release clause, Lamine Yamal is expected to take over Lionel Messi’s legendary No. 10 jersey at Barcelona this summer.

After agreeing to a new deal with a €1 billion release clause, Lamine Yamal is expected to take over Lionel Messi’s legendary No. 10 jersey at Barcelona this summer.

Lamine Yamal is reportedly poised to take over Lionel Messi’s legendary No. 10 shirt at Barcelona this summer, marking a symbolic passing of the torch nearly two decades after Messi’s own rise to stardom.

The 17-year-old prodigy—already widely regarded as the most promising talent since Messi—will celebrate his 18th birthday in July by signing a long-term “generational” contract with the Catalan giants. According to Memorabilia1899.co, the deal will include an eye-watering €1 billion (£841 million) release clause, underscoring the club’s belief in Yamal’s future.

Currently wearing the No. 19 jersey—ironically the same number Messi wore before switching to No. 10 in 2008—Yamal will take the iconic shirt from Ansu Fati, whose early promise has been derailed by injuries and inconsistency. Fati is expected to leave the club this summer.

Yamal has already carved out an astonishing start to his career. He has racked up 105 senior appearances for Barça, delivering 25 goals and 34 assists. This season alone, he contributed 43 goal involvements in 54 matches as Barça completed a domestic treble. Since debuting at just 15, he has already lifted two LaLiga titles.

Statistically, Yamal’s early trajectory eclipses those of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. By 17, Messi had scored once in nine senior games, while Ronaldo had five goals in 19 appearances for Sporting CP. In contrast, Yamal has also made 19 appearances for Spain, scoring four times—whereas Messi and Ronaldo didn’t debut internationally until after turning 18.

A touching piece of history adds to the legend: a baby Yamal was photographed being held by a 20-year-old Messi during a 2007 UNICEF campaign. Just seven years later, Yamal was training at La Masia, Barça’s famed academy. By 12, Spanish media were already branding him the “next Messi.”

Despite the inevitable comparisons, Yamal remains grounded. Ahead of his 100th Barcelona appearance—marked by a stunning goal in a Champions League draw—he said:
“I don’t compare myself to anyone, and much less with Messi. So I don’t think the comparison makes sense. I’m going to enjoy myself and be myself.”

Messi, of course, left an almost unreachable legacy: 672 goals in 778 appearances, 10 LaLiga titles, and four Champions League trophies. But with the No. 10 shirt about to be passed down to Yamal, a new chapter is beginning at the Camp Nou—one filled with expectation, promise, and perhaps, destiny.