Lamine Yamal scores first great goal in Barcelona’s No. 10 shirt: When did Lionel Messi do it?
Lamine Yamal found the net in his official debut wearing FC Barcelona‘s iconic No. 10 shirt during the club’s 2025-26 La Liga opener against RCD Mallorca, sealing a 3-0 victory. In a moment reminiscent of the Argentine legend, comparisons immediately arose over when Lionel Messi first scored wearing the same number.
With Ansu Fati’s move to AS Monaco, Barcelona needed a new heir to the No. 10 jersey for the 2025-26 season, and Yamal was the clear candidate. Having turned 18 this summer and signed a new contract with the Blaugrana, his official debut in the shirt felt inevitable after sporting it throughout preseason.
In Saturday’s clash with Mallorca, Yamal received the ball on the right wing from Gavi, cut inside past three defenders, and created just enough space to unleash a powerful strike. With a composed finish, he capped the scoreline at 3-0 — his first official goal of the season and his first in the No. 10.
When did Lionel Messi’s first goal with Barcelona’s No. 10 come?
Lionel Messi inherited the No. 10 shirt in the 2008-09 season following Ronaldinho’s departure to AC Milan. The Argentine didn’t take long to make his mark in the new number, scoring in Barcelona’s second La Liga match of the campaign.
On September 13, 2008, Barcelona hosted Racing Santander in Matchday 2 after a surprising season-opening defeat to Numancia. Coming off the bench in the 58th minute, Messi converted a penalty in the 70th to break the deadlock. The game ultimately ended 1-1, but the goal marked the beginning of a historic era.
Despite the rocky start, in Pep Guardiola’s first season as head coach, Barcelona went on to win the treble and later completed the Sextuple in 2009, sweeping every available trophy. Against Mallorca, Barça once again secured three points, with Yamal standing out as one of the team’s brightest performers.
Wearing the No. 10 for over a decade, Messi played 668 games and scored a staggering 630 goals before his sudden departure in 2021. Yamal, meanwhile, has one goal in one game. At just 18 years old with his entire career ahead of him, only time will tell if he can live up to, or even surpass, one of the greatest goalscorers in history.