OFFICIAL: Barcelona make first-team signing and give him Messi’s old number – it’s not Joao Cancelo

Robin Bairner

9 Jan 2026 14:43 GMT
4 min read

Barcelona have confirmed an addition to Hansi Flick’s first-team squad, with the change confirmed ahead of Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid.

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Joao Cancelo is expected to be the first new arrival at Camp Nou this January, but Barca have officially announced that wonderkid Roony Bardghji has been promoted from Barca Atletico to the first team on a permanent basis.

The €2.5 million summer signing from Copenhagen has featured 14 times for Barcelona’s first team already but had to be registered for the ‘B’ side due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

Current ETV

Roony Bardghji

F (CR)

Barcelona

Roony Bardghji

F (CR)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€13.6M - €16.6M

This also restricted Flick’s use of the 20-year-old, who he will now be able to call upon as regularly as he wishes.

Bardghji’s promotion to the first team also means that he will wear a new number. He previously sported the No.28 shirt while a Barca Atleti player, but La Liga regulations now mean that he has to be allocated a shirt between 1-25.

The Swede has picked the No.19 jersey, which he wore in pre-season and was also an old number worn by Lionel Messi when he was breaking into the first-team picture at Camp Nou. It was also Lamine Yamal’s number last season before he moved to the No.10 jersey.

Joao Cancelo to Barcelona a matter of time

Following the news that Bardghji has been promoted to Barcelona’s first-team, the Catalans are poised to announce their first completely new signing of the January transfer window in a matter of hours.

Joao Cancelo’s arrival from Al-Hilal is an open secret, with the mother of ex-Barca player Malcom inadvertently announcing the deal is complete in a social media post earlier this week.

Cancelo is set to join the Camp Nou outfit on loan, with the Catalans poised to cover what Fabrizio Romano described as a “small portion of the player’s substantial salary in Saudi Arabia”.

The deal is expected to be announced following the Super Cup final against Real Madrid on Sunday.

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