Rodri reveals reasons for joining Barça and selects his squad number at the club.
Playing for Barca is Rodri’s dream
In his first remarks after arriving at Barcelona airport, Rodri made no secret of his delight regarding this new career move. The 30-year-old star said: “I am living a dream.
“I told Man City that if they didn’t let me join Barca, I wouldn’t play for them until my contract expired, at which point I would join Barca on a free transfer. Ever since my time at Atletico, my dream has always been to play for Barca. Now, we will set our sights on the Champions League and every other trophy.”
Rodri leaves Man City after a seven-year stint with the club. During this period, he won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and three League Cups, while also scoring the decisive goal that secured Man City’s maiden Champions League triumph in 2023.
He was also a key member of the Man City squad that achieved the historic “Treble” that same year. On the international stage, Rodri is coming off a successful 2026 World Cup campaign, where he won the tournament’s Golden Ball and played a pivotal role in helping Spain conquer the world.
Rodri has arrived in Barcelona to sign a contract with the club.
According to the BBC, the deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days, with Rodri signing a four-year contract with Barça. The World Cup winner reportedly wishes to continue wearing his familiar number 16 jersey at Camp Nou.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that Rodri expressed this preference during recent conversations with Fermin Lopez. Meanwhile, Lopez is expected to switch to the number 7 shirt—a number previously worn by Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann.
Additionally, Barça has kept the number 9 shirt vacant following the departure of Robert Lewandowski. According to the newspaper *SPORT*, the Catalan club is reserving this number for long-term target Julian Alvarez, the striker rumored to be a potential future arrival at Camp Nou.
New signing Karim Adeyemi has reportedly chosen the number 14 shirt, further reinforcing the likelihood that Barça is holding the number 9 jersey for Alvarez, should the deal for the Argentine international go through.
