Lionel Messi is third-highest shirt seller at Barcelona – despite leaving in 2021 – Football España

Barcelona remain desperate to bring in as much funds as possible to help their financial woes, and one way to generate cash is through shirt sales. The club is well-known for having a global fanbase, and this helps with ensuring that as such merchandise as possible is sold.

Barcelona regularly collect data on who the biggest shirt seller is in the first team. As per Diario AS, it is no surprise that number one at the moment is Lamine Yamal, who revealed earlier this week that he will soon sign a new contract, which is expected to keep him at the club until at least 2030.

Just behind Lamine Yamal is Robert Lewandowski, while number three is a rather interesting player: Lionel Messi. Despite the fact that the club icon departed for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021, fans regularly buy the current season’s kit with his name and the number 10 on the back.

In terms of current players, it is a battle between Raphinha and Pedri for the number three spot. The Brazilian winger is currently narrowly ahead, and rightly so given the form that he has shown over the course of the season so far, but the Spanish midfielder, who has also excelled in recent months, is hot on his heels.

Gavi, whose shirt is said to be the most popular among teenagers, is ranked number five, while Pau Cubarsi is close behind in sixth. The next on the list is Frenkie de Jong, who had been much higher before his drop in prominence earlier in the season. However, he could soon be on the rise again if he does follow through with signing a new contract.

The report also states that alongside Messi, other historical players whose names are often requested for shirts are Neymar Junior and Andres Iniesta.