Who is Barcelona’s New Number 7?
- therookiereporters
- 45 minutes ago
- 3 min read
With the departure of Ferran Torres and the arrival of Rodri Hernandez, it is inevitable what number he would take over. Number 16. But that means one player would have to sacrifice their legacy under 16 and begin a new one under 7. And that player is Fermín López.
Fermín López originally began his football career in the Real Betis academy at age 9, spending 4 seasons there. In 2016, he joined FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy. When he was at Real Betis academy, he attracted interest from many clubs due to his natural goalscoring ability. However, Fermín López only had eyes for FC Barcelona. So, he played through the ranks of La Masia until he became a graduate in the 2023/24 season.
After signing his first professional contract with the Catalan side, Fermín López immediately went out on loan to Spanish 4th division side Linares Deportivo for the 2022-23 season. And safe to say, he proved he was ready for first team football. This loan wasn’t because he wasn’t trusted, it was so he could prove himself to Barcelona that he was ready and it also provided him with first team football that he vitally needed. During that season, Fermín López appeared for Linares Deportivo 40 times over league and cup duties, scoring 12 goals, assisting 4 times and ultimately cementing himself as a starter for the club.
His first-team debut came in a preseason fixture against Arsenal Football Club. However, 2 days later marked his first goal with the senior team in the Él Clasíco derby, the goal that Fermín himself says is one that he will never forget. Barcelona legend turned manager Xavi Hernández put that trust in him to perform, and wow did he do exactly that. Fermín López scored from around 20-25 yards outside the box and additionally assisted Barcelona’s third goal, a dream debut for the Barcelona boy.
Xavi Hernández also gifted Fermín López his Champions League debut against Royal Antwerp in a 5-0 victory, to which he got substituted on for Gavi in the 58th minute. On the 25th of October 2023, Fermín López started against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk where he scored in a 2-1 victory and was named player of the match. Fermín López became the first Spanish player to score a hat-trick for FC Barcelona in the Champions League, that came on the 24th October 2025 in a 6-1 victory where he was also named player of the match and it was deservedly awarded to him. So far, with his career for FC Barcelona, he has scored 9 goals in his 30 appearances in the Champions League, assisting 8 times.
Despite playing through Spain's youth teams, he has only been handed a few appearances from Spain manager Luis de la Fuente. To which he has only assisted 2 times. But, during the men's Olympic Games, he became Spain’s all-time top goalscorer in the Olympics, which is one of his proudest achievements since he was a little boy. With his national team, Fermín López has won the UEFA European Championships (Euros), became runner-up in the 2024-25 Nations League final and has also won Olympic Gold for football.
Fermín López has guided FC Barcelona to many trophies including he is a 2 time LaLiga winner, 2 time Supercopa de España winner, Copa del Rey winner and has scored 9 goals in 3 seasons of Champions League participation. He originally began his Champions League campaign with the number 32 but eventually managed to change it to number 16, now will be using the number 7.
Despite Fermín López being guaranteed a spot in De La Fuente’s World Cup squad, Fermín López suffered an unfortunate injury against Real Betis just weeks before the World Cup. Forcing him to be on the sidelines whilst watching all his teammates and friends lift the trophy he has dreamt of winning. Now, Fermín López will have to wait for the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco where he will be 27, and no guarantee he will make the squad.
At the start of the 2025-26 season, Fermín López had interests from many clubs around Europe, with Club World Cup champions Chelsea having severe interest in him. Their first offer of €40 million was understandably rejected by FC Barcelona so Chelsea kept trying and kept offering more. Their second offer was for €50 million and that was again rejected by FC Barcelona. Frustrated by the constant rejections, Chelsea decided to show a willingness to offer €100 million for the Spanish midfielder. However, despite the generous sum of money, Fermín López said he wants to stay with FC Barcelona and win the Champions League with the Catalan giants.
Article written by Lani Watson © Lani Watson 2026
