Rodri is set to make his starting debut for FC Barcelona this weekend against Valencia, or when the Catalans host Feyenoord in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Getty Images
Rodri is poised to make his starting debut for FC Barcelona this weekend against Valencia, or when the club hosts Feyenoord in the Champions League midweek.
Barcelona secured a major summer transfer coup by persuading Spain’s World Cup‑winning captain and Golden Ball winner to join them instead of Real Madrid.
The club agreed to an initial €60 million fee, with up to €11.5 million in add‑ons—a shrewd move by sporting director Deco, especially considering Rodri had less than a year remaining on his Manchester City contract.
Regardless, the 30‑year‑old is now a Barça player. He has already logged minutes against Athletic Club (27’) and Rayo Vallecano (26’), contributing to 2‑0 and 5‑2 victories at Spotify Camp Nou.
As expected, those appearances were bench cameos, giving Rodri time to integrate with his new teammates—most notably his Spain compatriot Pedri.
Despite being at the peak of his career, as shown at the World Cup, a former Ballon d’Or winner like Rodri is unlikely to settle for a backup role behind players such as Marc Bernal for long.
Of course, he may need to miss certain matches, just like Pedri, if Barcelona aims to retain the La Liga title for a third time—something not achieved since the Pep Guardiola era—while also making a deep Champions League run.
Rodri is expected to make his starting Barcelona debut in the next few days
With that in mind, Rodri could earn his first Blaugrana start as early as Sunday, when Barcelona travel to Mestalla to face Valencia.
While Real Madrid take on Real Betis away on Friday night, a victory for Flick’s side would be crucial to stay level on points with José Mourinho’s team.
Should his debut not happen then, the early 18:45 kickoff against Feyenoord would certainly be the moment he gets the nod.
As noted, this likely means Bernal, the Barcelona academy graduate, will lose his spot, with Rodri pairing alongside Pedri and either Dani Olmo or Fermín López operating as the advanced playmaker.
