Kevin-Prince Boateng inherits the '19' that Messi once wore
Barça's new signing takes the shirt number vacated by Munir this month
Kevin-Prince Boateng has taken the number '19' shirt which was left open by Munir. The Ghanian forward is wearing this shirt number for the first time and it's the same number that Messi had until Ronaldinho left and '10' became available.
The forward didn't really have a choice as the only numbers available to him were 19 and 25. However '25' has to be reserved for a goalkeeper and that meant Boateng was left with 19.
Julio Salinas, a former striker for Barça, played 196 matches and scored 72 goals wearing '19' on his back.
Another striker who wore that shirt number was Patrick Kluivert, this was during his first season at the club. The Dutch forward scored 123 goals in 259 matches. Kluvert scored 16 goals in his first year at the club. The following season he was handed '9'.
Lionel Messi wore the '19' shirt for two seasons at FC Barcelona. He had that number on his back for the 2007/07 and 2007/08 campaigns.
Other players to take that number include Maxwell, Montoya, Afellay, Sandro, Digne and Munir.
For Kevin-Prince Boateng the number 19 is special. When he was 19-years-old he scored his first continental goal. It came against Odense BK in 2006, when he was representing Hertha Berlin.
