We are all familiar with Messi and the image of the number 10 shirt, but Leo’s career has included other shirt numbers in his youth.
In Barcelona
On October 16, 2004 , Lionel Messi debuted in Barcelona’s shirt. He was introduced in the match against Espanyol at the Lluís Companys Stadium in Montjuïc at the age of 17 years, 3 months and 22 days.
After debuting for the first team in 2004 with shirt number 30, Messi wore this shirt number until the end of the 2005/06 season and switched to shirt number 19 since the 2006/07 season. Messi also had the first hat-trick of his career against Real Madrid, also wearing this number 19 shirt.
Entering the 2008/09 season, Lionel was changed to the number 10 shirt left by Ronaldinho and since then, Leo stuck with it from that time until he left Barca.
In Paris Saint-Germain
In the summer of 2021, Messi left Barcelona to go to PSG and the team’s number 10 at that time belonged to Neymar. The star, born in 1987, believed that wearing the same shirt number 30 days after his Barca debut would bring him luck. However, the rule of the French national championship, Ligue 1, is that the number 30 is only for reserve goalkeepers and the capital team had to ask for special permission for Messi to wear the number 30 shirt.
At Inter Miami
After leaving PSG in Summer 2023, Messi signed a two-and-a half-year contract with Inter Miami. Here, the Argentine striker wears his favorite number 10 shirt.
Argentina national team
Leo Messi did not always wear the number 10 shirt for Argentina. Previously, Messi wore shirt numbers 18 and 19. The last time Messi did not wear shirt number 10 was a friendly match with France in 2009, in which he wore shirt number 18.
Lionel Messi made his PSG debut wearing jersey number 30 instead of the familiar number 10. So why did he choose this strange number after leaving Barcelona?
The current Messi belongs to PSG but is hiding his return to the past regarding his shirt number. In fact, the Argentine superstar refused to accept the number 10 shirt that his friend Neymar gave him to choose number 30.
This is the shirt number Messi used when starting his adventure with Barca, in the squad at that time Ronaldinho wore shirt number 10.
Receiving the number 30 shirt is also considered a delicate choice by Messi as if to close the beautiful years with Barca, where the number 10 shirt has become a symbol.
According to L’Equipe, PSG received a special exception from Ligue 1. In the French league, numbers that are too “strange” are banned and the number 30 is forced to be given to the third goalkeeper of each team.
In fact, Messi took away the number 30 from Alexandre Letellier, PSG’s third choice in front of goal after Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas.
Remember, Messi’s debut with Barca was against Espanyol, when he came on the field with shirt number 30 in the 82nd minute to replace Deco, who scored the decisive goal.
According to PSG’s announcement, Messi’s new jersey will start being sold at the club’s official stores from 9 a.m. (local time) today.
It is expected that on the first day of sales, all PSG shirt sales records may be beaten. It is the marketing of one of the most powerful weapons associated with Messi’s name and will certainly report huge profits.
