Rodri: Playing for Barcelona is a dream

Spain captain and World Cup winner Rodri arrived in Barcelona in preparation for fulfilling his “dream” of signing with the Catalan club, having come from English side Manchester City. The midfielder told reporters waiting for him at the airport on Tuesday: “I am very happy to have arrived. The past few days have been busy, but I am happy that everything has been settled. Playing for Barcelona is certainly a dream.” He added: “I look forward to being with my teammates, many of whom I already know through the national team. It is time to work and give my best.” Rodri indicated that his goal with Barcelona is to “win the Champions League and everything else within our reach,” before leaving the venue. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner arrived in Barcelona a day after Manchester City and his future club reached an agreement on a transfer deal valued at around 75 million euros, including bonuses, according to Catalan press. A source inside the Catalan club clarified that the official announcement of the deal would be made “in the coming days.” The resolution of the 30-year-old’s transfer, who was named the best player at the 2026 World Cup after leading La Roja to the title, was one of the most anticipated files during the current transfer window. After seven years at Manchester City, the former Atletico Madrid and Villarreal player was close to moving to Real Madrid before ultimately choosing their Catalan rivals. The midfielder suffered injuries in the past two seasons before shining with Spain in the last World Cup. The absence of Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona for several months due to injury encouraged the club to move for Rodri. The Spanish national team captain was a key figure in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City lineup, leading the team to win the Champions League in 2023, as well as four English Premier League titles, among a total of 12 major trophies. City rejected two offers from Barcelona for Rodri before finally reaching an agreement on Sunday, thus adding the midfielder to Englishman Anthony Gordon, German Karim Adeyemi, and Belgian Jérémy Doku at Camp Nou this summer. Barcelona is also expected to finalize the signing of Joao Cancelo in the coming days, after the Portuguese international played for the team last season on loan from Saudi club Al Hilal.