Lionel Messi’s old Barcelona number inherited by new star ahead of El Clasico

Lionel Messi’s former Barcelona number is set to be worn for the first time in competitive action by one of Hansi Flick’s hottest young talents in El Clasico.

After Lamine Yamal claimed the famous No.10 shirt, which was worn so famously by Messi, Roony Bardghji will wear the Argentine’s former No.19 shirt for the first time in competitive action against Real Madrid in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final.

Changing numbers in the middle of the season is a rare occurrence, but the Swede has been forced to alter his shirt La Liga’s laws.

Why has Roony Bardghji changed number?

Bardghji’s shirt number is a recognition of his change of status at Barcelona.

When he arrived in the summer in a €2.5 million deal from Copenhagen, the Catalan side were obliged to register him with their ‘B’ team, Barca Atletico.

However, the club’s financial position now means that he has been registered with the first team, which means that head coach Hansi Flick can use him freely without fear of reprisal from La Liga.

Previously, there was concern that Barca could be punished for trying to circumvent Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by registering him with the youth team. That is no longer on the table as he has graduated to the top team.

Now a fully-fledged member of the Barcelona squad, Roony has to wear a number between 1 and 25 due to laws put in place by La Liga.

This means he has had to cast off his previous No.28 shirt and he has instead chosen to wear the No.19 top previously adorned by Messi. It was also Lamine Yamal’s number last season as he enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Blaugrana.

The Swede’s choice to wear that particular shirt should not come as too great a surprise as it was the number that he wore with Barcelona in pre-season.

Roony faces a stern challenge to live up to Barca’s previous No.19s, with Messi and Lamine both having achieved glorious things in the shirt.

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