Barcelona have unintentionally and unofficially announced some of their squad numbers for the 2022/23 season.
Shirt numbers are important, and that’s why clubs announcing them has become something of an event. Even if that event is horrible like Liverpool giving Darwin Nunez 27 or Manchester City handing the 7 shirt to Joao Cancelo.
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Barcelona haven’t formally announced their new squad numbers, but after their 6-0 win over Inter Miami on their US Tour featured everyone who is fit in the squad, we can infer some squad number changes.
The first being the one announced change for Pedri, who leaves the no. 16 behind to rock the no. 8 shirt formerly worn by Andrés Iniesta, although Dani Alves had it last season for some reason.
Eights pic.twitter.com/VjRcAVHytU
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 20, 2022
Goalkeeper Inaki Peña has returned from a loan to Galatasaray and taken the no. 13 shirt from Neto, who the club want to sell.
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Another change is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who wore 25 during his first half-season in Catalunya but will now wear a more familiar no. 17. This was worn by Luuk de Jong last season, and it is a number that Aubameyang has worn previously at Borussia Dortmund.
Wing wonder Raphinha shone while wearing the no. 22, another sign that the club want to sell Oscar Mingueza who wore it last season. Andreas Christensen inherited Clement Lenglet’s spot in the squad and took his no. 15 shirt number too.
Alex Collado wore Samuel Umtiti’s no. 23, another sign the club want the Frenchman to leave, but whether or not he will remains unknown. Umtiti is one of a handful of players left off the tour (along with Neto, Riqui Puig, Oscar Mingueza and Martin Braithwaite) as the club is trying to sell them.
Finally, Franck Kessie wore the no. 19 shirt, which last season was donned by Ferran Torres, so we can also infer that the Spaniard has switched to a free number (likely the no. 11 that Adama Traoré wore last season).
Moreover; Gavi, Alejandro Baldé, Abde and Pablo Torré all had shirt numbers above 25 indicating that, for now at least, the plan is to keep them registered with the B-team to save squad spaces (although that no. 6 is calling Gavi’s name).
Oh, and with Robert Lewandowski watching on, Memphis Depay wore the no. 9 shirt. The Polish striker will surely have his eyes on the coveted number and it remains to be seen what happens there if Memphis doesn’t secure a transfer to another side.
As it stands, Barcelona’s unofficial first-team squad numbers for the 2022/23 season are:
- Marc André Ter Stegen
- Sergiño Dest
- Gerard Piqué
- Ronald Araujo
- Sergio Busquets
- Ousmane Dembélé
- Pedri
- Memphis Depay
- Ansu Fati
- Ferran Torres?
- Inaki Peña
- Nico Gonzalez
- Andreas Christensen
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
- Jordi Alba
- Franck Kessié
- Sergi Roberto
- Frenkie de Jong
- Raphinha
- Alex Collado
- Eric Garcia