Why signing World Cup winner Rodri may be what sees Barcelona end Champions League drought

The Spanish star is back in Spain after joining from Man City, where he won the Champions League, the Premier League and the Ballon d'Or

Aug 18, 2026 at 5:07 pm ET • 3 min read

Hansi Flick's high line may have its shield in the arrival of Rodri from Manchester City. Fresh off winning the World Cup with Spain, Rodri joined Barcelona for almost $70 million, on a contract until 2030. Adding the star midfielder, it's clear what he means to a squad that have ambitions of winning their first Champions League title since 2015.

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The club have won LaLiga in back-to-back seasons, but the attacking power afforded by Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal alone hasn't been enough to push them to the next level, coming up short in the Champions League. While returning to the top of LaLiga was important, this is a team that expects to be among the best in the world, and their business this summer has included adding Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, and now Rodri. This is also with interest in Julian Alvarez as well.

With the addition of Rodri, Flick's men are much closer to being able to push Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League crown than they were yesterday. Both teams will now boost critical parts of the Spanish midfield with Fabian Ruiz suiting up for the Parisians and Rodri suiting up for Barcelona but with Rodri now partnering Pedri, Barcelona will be able to play the game on their terms.

This is before also mentioning Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Frenkie de Jong, all of whom will also be key to the midfield game plan, but none bring the similar defensive steel that Rodri does to the pitch. Barcelona have lived by their high line, with counter-attacks being their undoing in recent years, but with Rodri, those could turn into excellent attacking moments.

For both City and Spain, Rodri is able to break up counters due to his strong positioning and then use his passing ability to immediately turn them into attacking chances going the other way. He's also not afraid to take a shot from distance, scoring his fair share of long-range bangers. Simply, if Flick isn't going to dial back an aggressive attack that looks to shoot on sight, the defensive support that Rodri provides is exactly what Barcelona needs. It's a blow to City, but in adding Elliot Anderson, they're well prepared for Rodri's departure as well.

Now 30 and having suffered an ACL rupture in 2024, combined with other muscular injuries in the following seasons, there are concerns about Rodri's mobility and durability, but that's where additional depth can allow Barcelona to take a page out of PSG's book of extreme rotation. Only three players, Warren Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, and Illia Zabarnyi, played in more than 2,000 league minutes, allowing the squad to stay fresh for competing on multiple fronts.

Barcelona already dealt with numerous injuries in midfield last season, which is where cover will be needed no matter what happens, but adding Rodri will also allow Flick to rotate more in league play depending on who they're going up against. With Jose Mourinho back at Real Madrid, Barcelona may be challenged atop the league this season, but LaLiga is still seen as theirs to lose, which betting odds back, as Barcelona are -138 favorites compared to Real Madrid at +120. Los Blancos were also a club in for Rodri's services, but Barcelona were able to beat them to the punch, only strengthening their grip atop the league.

Barcelona kick off the season facing Elche on Aug. 23, which may come too soon for Rodri's debut at the club, but it'll be highly anticipated when it comes. If managed correctly, there's no reason why Rodri doesn't make Barcelona one of the top contenders to win the Champions League, which is certainly the goal this season. With how many members of the Spanish national team are already there, it won't take long for him to get up to speed with Flick's system, but now with a spine in Rodri and Pau Cubarsi behind an elite attack, look out for Barca.