The 2023-24 season was the first time in 27 years that saw no number 10 in the FC Barcelona team. Ansu Fati, who had been given this number following Lionel Messi’s departure from the Catalan club, spent the last season on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion, but his shirt number was not allotted to anyone else last season.
The issue of who will wear the number 10 at Barcelona next season has taken a central place in the media in the last few days, particularly after news emerged that Lamine Yamal is not too keen to take this number, which was denied by the player himself in a later interview.
Now, Mundo Deportivo has reported another episode related to this issue, as Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Ferran Torres, and Nico Williams discussed this issue jokingly during a training session with the Spanish national team.
The conversation on this matter was actually started by two former Real Madrid players, Nacho Fernandez, and Joselu Mato, who asked Yamal, “So you don’t like the ’27’ anymore. Not any more, right?”, referring to his recent comments on the matter.
Lamine’s comments explaining himself to Nacho cannot be recorded by the cameras, but then Nico Williams appears, and Pedri also joins the scene. The Barcelona midfielder tells the Athletic Club winger, “Nico, you have to change the 10… We can’t have three 10s on the team.”
Pedri’s comments thus also hinted at a possible inclusion of Williams in the Barcelona squad. Another Blaugrana player, Ferran Torres, then joins the conversation, as he jokes with Nico, “With that hair, you can’t wear the 10.”
While this conversation took place in a joking and friendly manner, the comments of these players show that they have already made themselves ready to see Nico as a part of the team for the next season.
However, the issue of the number 10 was inconclusive even in this friendly conversation, and it might take some time before the club makes a decision on this issue.
