sport news Ansu Fati has overcome injury woes and racist abuse to become one of Luis ... trends now
View
comments
When Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 the club’s fans wanted the No 10 shirt retired in his honour. One of their arguments was: who would want to wear it now anyway?
Step forward Spain striker Ansu Fati, who was only 18 at the time.
The club had offered the No 10 to Sergio Aguero but he did not want it. They offered it to Philippe Coutinho but he turned it down. Then they turned to Fati and his response was: ‘Speak to the club captains. If it’s OK with them then I’ll take it.’
Ansu Fati (second from right) had no qualms with taking Lionel Messi's No 10 Barcelona shirt
The 19-year-old has a mental resilience that belies his age after overcoming various setbacks
Undaunted by responsibility, the teenager — whose parents migrated to Spain from the Republic of Guinea-Bissau — now has new weight on his shoulders. If Spain are to do more than make up the numbers in Qatar the consensus is that it will need to be Fati who provides the magic.
That is why Spain coach Luis Enrique included him in his squad despite him having only started three league games this season.
Last season — the first campaign wearing Messi’s 10 — was a write-off. He started just three matches, scoring four goals, after suffering a meniscus injury in his left knee that required three operations. He was out for 10 months.
Fati has been slowed down by physical setbacks before. He broke his leg playing for
