In the new jersey numbers there is the whole decline of Barcelona

September 1st 2021 was an important and sad day in the history of Barcelona. The Blaugrana company has announced the new jersey numbers for the senior team, thus formalizing the internal succession between Leo Messi and Ansu Fati: the very young playmaker originally from Guinea-Bissau, back from a terrible sequence of injuries, will wear the number ten left free by his former captain. A strong and courageous choice, and also very significant: Ansu Fati is a product of the Barça nursery, he grew up in La Masía just like Messi, and is considered one of the most promising talents in world football; his debut as a teenager, now two years ago, impressed everyone, then – as mentioned – there were serious and repeated injuries that delayed his rise. At 19 years of age to be completed on October 31st, however, Fati has everything it takes to try to collect Messi’s legacy, at least in the long term.

While waiting to understand how the future will go, the fact remains that Messi is no longer there. And that Fati is a champion in the making who, however, still has everything to prove. In short, it is clear that at the moment this handover cannot be considered advantageous. Indeed, it is another clear sign of the crisis – economic, political, identity and planning – which has hit and is hitting Barça. Just look at other jersey numbers of a certain weight to realize the situation: for example Memphis Depay took the number nine, which until 2020 belonged to Luis Suárez; a first downgrade took place a year ago, when the same number was worn by Martin Braithwaite. And then there is number 11: this year Barça awarded it to 18-year-old Yusuf Demir, an Austrian attacking winger (but of Turkish origin) who came on loan from Rapid Vienna to join Barcelona B – even if Koeman granted him 28 minutes of play in the second match of La Liga, drawn 1-1 against Athletic Club. A year ago, the jersey number assigned to Demir was on the shoulders of Ousmane Dembélé, who has now switched to wearing number seven.

The comparison with the more recent past is rather disturbing, but the one with the previous seasons is even more so: from 2014 to 2017, the nine, ten and eleven jerseys were on the shoulders of Suárez, Messi and Neymar; even earlier, between 2012 and 2014, these numbers were brought by Alexis Sánchez, Messi and Thiago Alcántara; in Guardiola’s early years it was the turn of Ibrahimovic, Messi and Eto’o; going even earlier, we find the trio Eto’O-Ronaldinho-Zambrotta (2007/08 season) or Kluivert-Ronaldinho-Overmars (2003/04), or even Kluivert-Litmanen-Rivaldo (2001/02). In short, in the last twenty years many champions have passed from Barcelona, ​​and many of these have worn numbers nine, ten and eleven. Maybe the new trio Depay-Ansu Fati-Demir will do even better, will open a new era of triumphs and great football. Today, however, it is really hard to believe.