Monday night brought in good news for Marc Bernal as FC Barcelona successfully registered him as a first-team player in La Liga.
The 18-year-old had a reserve team licence until now, but the departure of Hector Fort to Elche on loan created enough space for the midfielder to be handed a first-team registration.
It also means that Bernal will now have a new shirt number, with La Liga rules stipulating that the youngster must take a number between 1-25.
As reported earlier, the teenage gem has four options at the moment, with numbers 2, 12, 19, and 22 being vacant.
Bernal chooses No. 22
Now, according to RAC1Bernal will don the No. 22 shirt at FC Barcelona in the 2025/26 season.
The number 22 has been vacant since last season, following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan, who donned the shirt upon his arrival in 2023.
Before that, Raphinha wore the number for a season, while the likes of Oscar Mingueza, Ansu Fati, Arturo Vidal, and Dani Alves were some of the previous holders of the #22.
Now, Bernal is set to become the new owner of number 22 at Barça, and is expected to don that shirt when the Catalans return to action against Valencia after the international break.
Having been out of action for over a year due to an ACL injury, the The Masia sensation has fully recovered and is finally expected to make his comeback later this month.
Prior to his injury, Bernal had started all three of Barcelona’s La Liga matches of the 2023/25 season, indicating the kind of faith Hansi Flick has in him.
