BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lamine Yamal will switch to the No. 10 jersey at Barcelona, the same number Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi wore for the Catalan club.
“I’ll try to build my own path, but all kids would like to be like them,” Yamal said Wednesday at the club's announcement. “All three have been incredible players, they’re legends, and I’ll try to follow in their footsteps.”
Having turned 18, Yamal was able to sign the contract extension that he had agreed with Barcelona in May, keeping him in place until 2031.
“My goal is to keep winning and growing,” Yamal said. “It’s the club of my life. It’s my home, I’ve been here since I was 7 years old.”
Yamal wore the No. 19 jersey last season. The No. 10 most recently was with Ansu Fati, who will play on loan with Monaco.
Yamal, accompanied by his family, received the No. 10 jersey from club president Joan Laporta.
The announcement comes after Yamal was criticized for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers during his lavish 18th birthday party last weekend.
Yamal sidestepped the controversy on Wednesday.
“In the end I work for Barça, but when I’m away from the club's training center, I enjoy my life and that’s it," Yamal said. "I’m indifferent to both criticism and praise if they don't come from my family or people close to me.”
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The Associated Press