La Liga
Yamal inherits Barcelona’s iconic number 10 jersey
Barcelona’s electric 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has been handed the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by club icon Lionel Messi, capping a remarkable breakthrough season for the teenager.
Yamal earned the jersey after a stellar campaign where he netted 18 goals and provided 25 assists as Barcelona swept the domestic treble of LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup while they reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The youngster, who wore the number 19 shirt last season, had already committed his long-term future to the club, signing a contract extension in May that will keep him at Barcelona until 2031.
On Wednesday, he received the number 10 shirt from club president Joan Laporta in a special ceremony.
The number 10 shirt carries enormous weight at the Camp Nou, having been worn by Messi during his trophy-laden tenure at the club that shaped his career.
The Argentine claimed 34 trophies with Barcelona and departed as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals, although he left after the 2020-21 season due to the club’s financial troubles.
The number 10 shirt at Barcelona was also worn by greats such as Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho, but Yamal said he would not be weighed down by its legacy.
“Messi paved the way with the number 10, I will make mine,” Yamal told reporters.
“They are three soccer and club legends. Every kid dreams of having something from Messi, Ronaldinho and Maradona… I’ll try to carry on that legacy.
“First, my dream was to debut for Barca and wear the number 10. Everyone who grows up here dreams of that. I’m grateful to the club.”
Following Messi’s exit, the jersey was passed to young winger Ansu Fati but the now 22-year-old failed to live up to his early promise and he was eventually loaned out to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Fati will spend next season on loan at AS Monaco, clearing the way for Yamal to inherit one of football’s most famous shirt numbers.
Having also won the European Championship with Spain last year, Yamal said his next goal was to win the titles that are missing from his trophy cabinet.
“I haven’t won the Champions League and the World Cup,” he said. “These are my goals now.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
A Spanish court on Wednesday handed Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti a one-year prison sentence for failing to pay tax on his image rights revenues in 2014 when the Italian was Real Madrid manager, according to a statement.
Ancelotti, who managed Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 and between 2021 and 2025, was cleared of a similar charge in 2015, as the court could not prove he had stayed long enough in Spain to incur tax liabilities, the court added. He moved to London after Real Madrid sacked him in May 2015.
Under Spanish law, any sentence under two years for a non-violent crime rarely requires a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time.
The 66-year-old former Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Chelsea manager is the latest of several soccer celebrities to be investigated and convicted by the Spanish tax authority for alleged tax fraud.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Raphinha knew there was no reason to panic as Barcelona struggled to break down Espanyol on Thursday and said it was only a matter of time before the “golden feet” of Lamine Yamal steered them to a title-winning victory with a glorious goal.
Yamal, 17, took the ball on the right touchline and made a superb lateral run across the edge of the box before unleashing a curling strike between two defenders and into the top corner to break the deadlock early in the second half.
The stunning strike set Barca on course for a 2-0 win that secured the LaLiga title, with Real Madrid seven points back with only two games left to play.
“We didn’t have many clear chances but we have a kid in there who sometimes pulls something out of the golden feet he has and he gave us peace of mind to stay in the game more calmly,” Raphinha said.
“In January some people were saying we would fight to be third. We have confidence in ourselves. That’s the key. We trust in the work and in what we know we can do.”
Raphinha has scored 18 league goals this season, including a brace in Saturday’s crucial 4-3 win over Real Madrid, and was quick to credit the trust shown in him by coach Hansi Flick.
The Brazilian tripled his goal tally from last season and also has the third-highest number of assists in the competition with nine, three less than leader Yamal.
“The most important thing was the confidence of the coach. Knowing at the start of the season that he was counting on me, a person who controls the team … it changes you in the end,” he said.
-Reuters
Former Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso is set to become the next Real Madrid manager on a three-year deal when he leaves Bayer Leverkusen after this season, Spanish media reported on Monday.
Alonso, 43, is expected to replace current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is being lined up for the vacant Brazil job ahead of the 2026 World Cup, soccer sources told Reuters.
Despite the Italian having a year remaining on his contract, Real’s underwhelming season and his desire to coach Brazil have led to a mutual agreement to part ways, the sources added.
Alonso, who said earlier this month that he was leaving Leverkusen after guiding them to the double last term, will join Real before the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States from June 14 to July 14, multiple media reports said.
Alonso, who also played for Liverpool and Bayern Munich, last season steered Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, ending the Bavarians’ 11-year domination, and they also won the German Cup and German Super Cup.
Reports of Ancelotti’s likely departure come as no surprise after Real’s 4-3 defeat at Barcelona in a thrilling ‘El Clasico’ on Sunday left his side on the brink of a trophyless season.
The 65-year-old Italian, who returned for a second stint at Real in June 2021, led the Spanish giants to two Champions League and LaLiga doubles, the latest of which came last season.
He is the most successful manager in the club’s history with a total of 15 trophies and the first coach to claim titles in Europe’s top five leagues.
However, this season Real were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal and allowed Barca to fight back and win 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final.
Second-placed Real are seven points adrift of Barcelona, who could secure the league title on Wednesday without kicking a ball if Real fail to win at home to Mallorca.
Regardless of Real’s result, a Barca victory in the city derby away to Espanyol on Thursday would clinch the title.
An official announcement regarding a managerial change is expected before Real’s last game of the season at home to Real Sociedad on May 25.
-Reuters
Schmuelgen/File Photo
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Back to the Skies: Shooting Stars will Chart a Brave New Course under new chairman, says Dimeji Lawal
Yamal inherits Barcelona’s iconic number 10 jersey
WAFCON 2024: Nigeria’s Ihezuo in Golden Boot Chase as Falcons Look to Break Goal Drought
- OBITUARY4 days ago
BREAKING: Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Dies at 81
- WAFCON1 week ago
Tensions Flare as Algeria Politicizes 2025 Women’s AFCON in Morocco
- OBITUARY17 hours ago
BREAKING! Former Super Eagles Coach and Ex-International Monday Sinclair Passes On
- La Liga1 week ago
Former Real Madrid manager and Brazil Coach, Carlo Ancelotti sentenced to prison
- Nigerian Football5 days ago
Ex-NFF President Maigari Pays Solidarity Visit to Recuperating Ibrahim Galadima in Kano
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Legacy Renewed: Taiwo Lekan-Salami Charts Bold Path for Shooting Stars Revival
- MEDIA6 days ago
Mumini Alao to Launch Autobiography with High-Profile Guests Set to Attend
- WAFCON6 days ago
Ghana’s hopes hang in the Balance after a 1-1 draw with Mali