The curious case of Roony Bardghji – nowhere to be found in first or reserve team sheet | OneFootball

The case of Roony Bardghji at Barcelona is becoming increasingly intriguing.

Recently, it was reported that the 19-year-old winger was officially registered as a Barça Atlètic player due to Financial Fair Play restrictions during the final day of the summer transfer window.

With no room left to register him in La Liga as a first-team player, the club chose to place him under the Federació Catalana as a temporary measure.

However, confusion grew further this week when Barça Atlètic released the squad numbers for the 2025-26 season.

Several changes were announced, but Bardghji was not included in the reserve team’s list.

Although he was technically registered with Barça Atlètic, the club internally considers him part of the first team.

For that reason, his name does not appear on the B team’s roster. Still, the club has kept the number ‘21’ free in case Bardghji is required to feature for Barça Atlètic at any point.

Bardghji confident in first-team future

Bardghji himself seems certain about his position at Barcelona. In a recent interview, when asked about his registration, he said,

“I don’t think I would have been there if it had been with the youth teams.

“To come from the first team after playing more than 100 games and then go to the reserve team. I don’t think I would have agreed to that. So that wasn’t the plan.”

While his La Liga registration remains unresolved, the Champions League presents a different picture.

Thanks to UEFA’s squad rules, Bardghji has been included on Barcelona’s ‘A list’, making him available for all matches in Europe’s top competition.

For the Champions League, the Swedish winger will wear the No. 28 shirt, a choice dictated by UEFA’s regulations rather than Barcelona’s internal strategy.