Fermin Lopez Takes FC Barcelona's No. 7 Shirt
Fermin Lopez has stepped into one of FC Barcelona’s most storied shirts. The La Masia midfielder is the club’s new No. 7, inheriting the number vacated by Ferran Torres after his move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Torres, 26, joined PSG last week in a deal worth close to €50 million, signing a five-year contract running until 2031. His departure did not just open up a place in the squad; it reopened a debate. At Barcelona, the No. 7 carries weight, history, and expectation. Fans immediately started wondering who would dare pick it up.
Now they have their answer. La Liga’s official website confirms that Fermin has switched from No. 16 to No. 7 for the new season, a clear statement of his growing status under Hansi Flick.
A rising leader in Flick’s Barcelona
Fermin was not just another academy graduate filling minutes last season. He became a pillar of Flick’s structure. In the 2025/26 campaign, the attacking midfielder delivered a breakout year, driving Barcelona’s charge to the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup.
He pressed, he created, he scored. He played with the kind of intensity that fits the modern Barça, and the kind of personality that fits the No. 7.
His momentum was cruelly checked late in the season. An injury ruled him out of Spain’s World Cup trip to North America, a brutal blow for a player on the verge of a major international breakthrough. The World Cup went on without him; his season ended on the treatment table.
But that chapter has closed. Fully recovered, Fermin has impressed in pre-season, looking sharp, confident, and eager to pick up where he left off. Now he will do it with one of the most visible numbers on his back.
A shirt with a long memory
At Barcelona, numbers tell stories. The No. 7 has seen its share of stars and mixed fortunes.
Most recently, Ferran Torres wore it before leaving for Paris. Before him came Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, and Philippe Coutinho — big names, big transfer fees, and careers at Camp Nou that never fully matched the expectations attached to that shirt.
Go back a little further and the cast changes. Arda Turan. Pedro Rodriguez, the tireless winger who turned the No. 7 into a symbol of work rate and timing. David Villa, whose goals helped define one of the club’s golden eras. Further still, the number has been worn by Luis Figo, Eusebio, and even Pep Guardiola for a brief spell.
Fermin now walks into that lineage. Not as a marquee signing, but as a homegrown midfielder who has earned his place.
A wider reshuffle at Barcelona
His new number is part of a broader reset in the squad.
Earlier this month, Barcelona confirmed that Joan Garcia will wear the No. 1 shirt following the exit of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, a major symbolic change in goal. Wojciech Szczesny has been assigned No. 13, reinforcing the shift in the goalkeeping department.
The dressing room pecking order is being rewritten. New arrivals Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon are still waiting to learn which numbers they will carry into their first season at Camp Nou, with more announcements expected soon.
For now, though, one decision stands out. Fermin Lopez, once the promising kid in No. 16, will walk into the new campaign as Barcelona’s No. 7 — a number that demands responsibility, personality, and end product. He has already shown he can handle the football. Now he has the shirt to match.
