Messi’s jersey number: Lionel Messi is a name that has gained cult popularity over the span of the last 16 years. May it be for Barcelona or Argentina, anywhere he has been, people have followed him blindly.
However, things are going to change now as Messi will be donning the jersey of a new club after almost 16 years at Camp Nou. There have been mixed reactions in the football canon and all of them have blown out of proportions, may it be support or may it be vitriol. However, that won’t impact what will happen on the pitch, as PSG has just bought a team of superstars.
Messi will be wearing jersey number 30 at PSG. It was surprising that he didn’t go for his traditional jersey number 10 at Parc des Princes but once again everyone in the world makes sacrifices and Messi is no exception to the same.
In this story, we will take a glance at all the jersey numbers that Messi has donned in his glittering antiquity in the sport.
Messi’s jersey number over the years:
1. 30 for Barcelona
The Argentine sensation started his career at Camp Nou wearing the jersey number 30, and they were the initial seasons that Messi showed to the world his extra-terrestrial prowess on the ball.
From dribbling two to three defenders at a time to taking those meaty thunderbolts that would go onto imbricate into the back of the net, Messi was just starting to warm up. In the seasons he donned the jersey number 30, he scored 9 goals from 34 matches.
2. 19 for Barcelona
This was the Argentine magician plying his trade for the Catalan giants under the limelight of Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto. In the next two seasons, he chose the jersey number 19, already having established himself as a future star.
In these two seasons, he started proliferating at his magnificent best, as he went on to score 33 goals from 76 matches and exude an aura of irrepressible brilliance.
3. 10 for Barcelona
This is when the little magician bloomed at his majestic best for the Catalans and came out of the shadow of Ronaldinho to take over the mantle of supremacy.
In the next thirteen seasons, playing under the iconic number 10 jersey, Messi spawned a legacy so vivid that it would need God himself to come and break it. He played 668 matches and scored 639 goals, which were laced with innumerable assists. Keeping the glaring numbers aside, the gentry of football that was dished out by the diminutive magician was not just blazing, but simply unrivalled.
4. 30 for PSG
Despite his supporters wanting him to take the jersey number 10 at PSG, he was not really interested in taking away Neymar’s number.
He chose to take the impressive number 30 with which he started his career at Camp Nou. I know people will be expecting this to be the onset of another iconic era but at the most Messi will most likely be playing 3 to 4 more seasons which would hail the end of an era.
5. 18, 19, 15 and 10 for Argentina
With all said and done, Messi has also built an enviable legacy for his nation, almost single-handedly putting up a marathon effort to propel them to the 2014 World Cup finals, 2018 World Cup round of 16, and 2021 Copa América triumph.
However, he has shuffled his jerseys for the national team as he started with number 18 for the Argentine youth team, then took the jersey number 19 when he made the cut for the national team in the first year. He then switched to 18 and 15 later in the Olympic Games. Post that, he has permanently snapped up the jersey number 10, belting out one masterclass after the other.
