Spanish midfielder Rodri, winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or and a World and European champion, will play for Barcelona. He announced this upon his arrival in “Barcelona”, as quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano on his X page.

"Playing for Barcelona is my dream. I'm looking forward to joining my teammates. We're going after the Champions League and all the other competitions," Rodri said.

Romano previously reported that Rodri's contract would run until 2030.

Rodri, 30, has played for “Manchester City” since 2019. He previously played for “Atlético” and “Villarreal” in Spain. The Spaniard is a four-time English champion, a three-time English League Cup winner, a two-time FA Cup winner, a two-time UEFA Super Cup winner, and a winner of the Champions League, the English Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. As part of the Spanish national team, he won the World Cup (2026), European Championship (2024), and the Nations League (2023). At the 2026 World Cup, Rodri was named the tournament's best player.

In 2024, he won the Ballon d'Or, the award given to the world's best footballer by France Football magazine. Rodri became the second player in history to transfer to “Barcelona” after being awarded the Ballon d'Or; the only other player was Dutchman Johan Cruyff, who won his first Ballon d'Or in 1971 and joined Barcelona in 1973.