Frenkie de Jong takes 21 shirt, Carles Alena moves to 19
The Dutchman will keep the number that he had at Ajax after Alena switched
Frenkie de Jong took the No 21 shirt on Monday while Carles Alena switched to the No 19.
The new Dutch signing from Ajax was not given a number at his presentation but now knows what shirt he will wear for the foreseeable future - the same number he had on his strip in Holland.
Alena was 21 last season but let De Jong have it, moving to 19.
Antoine Griezmann took the No 17 shirt on Sunday at his presentation.
“Since jersey numbers became season-long assignations in 1995-96, eight Barça players have worn the number 21,” said Barcelona on their website.
“De Jong thus becomes the ninth, following the likes of Robert Prosinecki, Luis Enrique — who had it for eight seasons — Lillian Thuram, Alexander Hleb, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Adriano Correia, André Gomes, and Aleñá.
“A total of 13 players have worn the number 19: Lluís Carreras, Juan Antonio Pizzi, Patrick Kluivert, Dani Garcia, Fernando Navarro, Leo Messi (which he wore for two and a half seasons before taking number 10), Maxwell, Martín Montoya, Ibrahim Afellay, Sandro Ramírez, Lucas Digne, Munir El Haddadi, and Boateng.”
