Barca's recovering forward Ansu Fati, an icon and the club's great hope
The young striker, now 18, has missed almost a year of football with his knee problem
The king is dead, long live the king, they say. With Lionel Messi gone, Ansu Fati has inherited the No 10 shirt. First Philippe Coutinho and Sergio Aguero were considered, but in the end, the club decided on something else.
Joan Laporta was convinced that the best formula was to repeat 2008’s success. That year Pep Guardiola arrived and Ronaldinho, owner of the No 10 for five seasons, left the club. Laporta, Guardiola and Tiki Beguiristain had no doubts. The No 10 was for Lionel Messi, the player who had to lead the new project. It didn’t go badly. 13 years later, Messi has left but the idea is the same. Ansu is his heir.
The forward liked the challenge. He was not scared. Last season he had five goals and four assists in 10 games, before he got injured. He wore the 31 shirt. At 16 years old he had seven goals in 33 games. Now he’s counting the days until Sep 20, when he will get back on the pitch.
Soon Barca will have to speak to him about a new deal, with his current contract expiring on June 30, 2022.
