Nico Williams is on his way to Barcelona! 🤩 He might be given a legendary jersey number!

Nico Williams looks set to join Barcelona, and it appears the club has already decided on the shirt number he’ll wear.
Contrary to speculation that he might inherit the iconic No. 10 or 11 he sported at Athletic Club, various reliable sources now confirm he will wear No. 17 at Barça.
According to Madrid-Barcelona.com, the club has settled on the number 17 jersey, recognizing its deeper meaning and symbolism within the current squad. Catalunya Diari backs this up, reporting that Williams is expected to take over the number from Marc Casadó.

Additionally, The Scotsman references several posts on X (formerly Twitter) indicating that No. 17 is indeed the chosen number for Nico.

With this confirmation, the mystery surrounding his future shirt number seems resolved. Number 17 has a solid history at Barcelona, most notably worn by Pedro Rodríguez during some of the club’s most successful years.
While not as iconic as numbers like 10 or 7, the 17 shirt still carries legacy and offers Williams a fresh start in his new chapter.

Why not No. 10 or 11? That’s simple — the No. 10 jersey is now worn by rising star Lamine Yamal, making it unavailable. No. 11, meanwhile, belongs to Raphinha.
But before No. 17 was confirmed, there were a few other numbers Nico Williams could realistically have taken:

Number 12 has been vacant since Martin Braithwaite left in 2022. Though not traditionally associated with star players, it could have given Williams an understated platform to build his own legacy without heavy expectations.

Number 19 is another strong symbolic option. It’s the number Yamal wore before being promoted to the No. 10 shirt, and it has history with Lionel Messi during his early years at the club. Choosing 19 could’ve represented a kind of symbolic passing of the torch.

Other less likely but still potential numbers included 14 (currently held by João Félix), 7 (owned by Ferran Torres), and 22, which is presently unassigned but lacks historical weight.

Ultimately, No. 17 seems the best fit — both practically and symbolically. It avoids stepping on the toes of existing stars while giving Nico Williams a number with heritage, worn by key players in the club’s past. His journey at Barcelona begins with this subtle but meaningful choice.