FC Barcelona are reportedly considering making a big change regarding their iconic No. 10 shirt, which is said to have lost its appeal since African-born star Ansu Fati inherited it from Lionel Messi.
The jersey has previously been donned by a number of footballing legends at the Camp Nou, including Messi, Ronaldinho, Romario, and Diego Maradona.
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In August 2021, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner left the Blaugrana after his contract had expired, bringing his 20-year association with the club to an acrimonious end after he was promised a renewal.
Fati, who broke into Barca's senior team in 2019 at the age of just 16, inherited the famous shirt number after the Argentine joined Paris Saint-Germain, with the young Spanish attacker widely considered at the time to be the next big talent to emerge from the LaLiga club.
However, the Guniea-Bissau-born star has largely failed to live up to the high expectations since as his career has been plagued by injuries that have stagnated his development.
The 20-year-old started in just seven of his 21 appearances for Barca so far this season, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha have had more prominent roles under manager Xavi Hernandez.
According to AS, Fati's struggles have seen him lose prominence off the field as well, with sales of the team's No. 10 shirt having dramatically declined over the past few seasons.
The garment was the club's best-selling jersey when Messi was the holder, but is now said to be outside the top six best-sellers today. Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Pedri's shirts have the most sales, while Fati's No. 10 is apparently hardly ever mentioned.
"Right now, it is not even among the six best-sellers," a source explained to the Spanish publication.
"If you want an Ansu Fati shirt, you have to ask for them to specifically print the name because we don't have it in stock."
The club is said to be embarrassed that almost no one wants to buy their famous No. 10 shirt and are looking at solutions to the problem, with the team's marketing department interested in a change in order to relaunch the product.
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Whether this change could mean another player taking the number instead remains to be seen.
There is also increasing speculation that the La Masia graduate could leave the club as soon as next season, with Premier League giants Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool said to be interested in his services, although his current manager Xavi has insisted he does not want to see Fati leave the Camp Nou.
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