Fermin Lopez Takes Barcelona's Iconic No. 7 Shirt

Fermin Lopez has stepped into one of FC Barcelona’s most charged shirts. The La Masia midfielder is the club’s new No. 7, taking over the number vacated by Ferran Torres after his move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Ferran’s departure to PSG in a deal worth close to €50 million, on a five-year contract running to 2031, did more than open a space in the forward line. It left a number free that carries a heavy history at Barça. Debate among supporters started almost immediately: who would dare take it on?

Now the answer is official. La Liga’s registration lists confirm that Fermin has dropped the No. 16 he has worn over the past couple of seasons and will walk into the new campaign with No. 7 on his back.

It feels like a statement from Hansi Flick.

The German coach leaned heavily on Fermin last season, building him into an integral part of a side that went on to win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. The 2025/26 campaign was a breakout year for the academy product, his energy and timing from midfield giving Barcelona a different rhythm in the final third.

His rise hit a cruel pause late in the season. An untimely injury shut the door on his World Cup dream with Spain, ruling him out of the squad that flew to North America. For a player in that kind of form, it was a brutal twist.

He has not sulked. Fully recovered, Fermin has attacked pre-season and impressed again, looking sharp, confident and ready to pick up exactly where he left off. Now he will do it wearing a shirt that has long been reserved for players expected to shape games, not just follow them.

The No. 7 at Barcelona is no ordinary number. Recent years have seen it on the backs of Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, all high-profile, high-expectation signings. Go back a little further and it belonged to Arda Turan, Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa. Push deeper into the club’s history and the names become even heavier: Luis Figo, Eusebio, and even Pep Guardiola, briefly, carried the same digit.

Fermin is not arriving as a galáctico signing. He is the opposite: a homegrown midfielder now entrusted with a shirt often associated with star forwards and marquee arrivals. That contrast only sharpens the symbolism.

The reshaping of Barcelona’s squad numbers does not stop with him. Earlier this month, the club confirmed that Joan Garcia will take over the No. 1 shirt following the exit of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, a significant handover in goal. Wojciech Szczesny has been assigned No. 13, adding further clarity to the new goalkeeping hierarchy.

More changes are coming. New signings Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon are still waiting to learn which numbers they will wear, decisions that will add the final touches to a dressing room clearly entering a new era.

For now, though, one image stands out: Fermin Lopez, La Masia graduate and key piece in Flick’s plans, walking into the season with Barcelona’s No. 7 on his shoulders. The club has nailed its colours to his talent. Now he has to live up to a number that rarely allows anonymity.