At Secret Match Day, we live for stories like this. The kind that sound like fantasy but are rooted in raw, relentless ambition. Barcelona’s newest signing, Roony Bardghji, fits that mold perfectly. He is 19. He has been a Football Manager legend. And now he is swapping virtual hype for a very real shot at Camp Nou stardom.
He has just signed a four-year deal with Barcelona after a bumpy but promising spell at FC Copenhagen. You might recognize his name even if you have never seen him play. Maybe it was that stunning Champions League winner against Manchester United in 2023. Maybe it is because he has been hyped as the Swedish Messi. But there is a lot more to Roony than the labels.
Roony’s story starts in Kuwait City, where he was born to Syrian parents. His dad was a Manchester United fan, but young Roony was often seen in a Barcelona shirt, juggling an Adidas Jabulani ball that looked comically large next to him. He never played for a Kuwaiti club. Instead, he trained with his dad on makeshift pitches and chased his dreams the hard way.
“I wish to become the best player in the world,” Roony once told The Athletic. That quote alone tells you everything about the kid’s mindset.
At age six, he moved to Sweden with his mum and younger brother Rayan, who now plays in Copenhagen’s youth ranks. The family settled in Kallinge, a quiet town on Sweden’s south coast. Roony learned Swedish and eventually added Danish, Arabic and English to his toolkit. Fluent in four languages before most teenagers learn to do their own laundry.
Football-wise, he went from Kallinge SK to Rodeby AIK, then caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur at 12. On trial, he bagged three goals and two assists in a single game against Ipswich Town. Not bad for a school kid. By 2019, he was at Malmo, and shortly after that, he made the leap to Copenhagen.
He could not play senior football until his 16th birthday. But when that day came in November 2021, he became the youngest player to ever debut for the club. Within weeks, he was the youngest scorer in the Danish Superliga. Fast forward to November 2023 and he is smacking in a last-minute half-volley to beat Manchester United in the Champions League. That goal? “The most important of my career,” he said.
But success came with setbacks. A serious knee injury in April 2024 kept him out for nearly a year. Just weeks after returning, another knock in May 2025 halted his momentum again. These challenges meant he also missed his chance at breaking into Sweden’s senior team. Despite starring nine times for the Under-21s, he never got the senior nod and had strong feelings about it.
“How much more do you have to do as a 17-year-old to get a place?” he asked after former Sweden coach Janne Andersson said he had a lot to prove at the highest level. The kid has never been short on belief.
Now it is Barcelona. But can they afford him? Can they even fit him in?
This transfer is Deco’s doing. The former Portugal midfielder and now Barcelona sporting director has made it a mission to snap up emerging talents. Even after losing out on Arda Guler and Lucas Bergvall to rival clubs, he sees Roony as a project worth investing in. Roony is not expected to break into the first team immediately. He will join pre-season training where head coach Hansi Flick will assess whether he stays with the squad or goes out on loan to get more minutes.
There is also a strategic side to this move. Roony’s arrival was announced by Barca Atletic, the B team, not the main club. This is because players signed to the second team are not immediately subject to La Liga’s strict salary cap rules. However, there are caveats. If a player from abroad plays enough minutes or earns enough, he is counted as a senior player regardless. La Liga has a panel that reviews whether a player truly qualifies as a B team signing based on fees, caps, league history and salary. It is all to prevent clubs from gaming the system.
For just 2 million euros, Barcelona see Roony as a low-risk, high-reward gamble. If he breaks through, he becomes a major asset. If not, he is still a marketable young talent with resale value.
So what exactly does he bring to the pitch?
Roony is a left-footed right winger who loves to cut inside and cause chaos. He has that slippery, low-gravity style that makes defenders hesitate. He is creative. He has an eye for goal. And despite the flashy Swedish Messi label, he actually shares a lot of Messi’s on-ball instincts, though he is not as explosive. At least not yet.
“He is going to have to be a big fish in a small pond at first,” a Premier League scout told The Athletic. “He is not the most athletic player, so it will be about finding the right style and shape. Perhaps a narrow right-side role in a 4-3-3.”
One obvious hurdle is Barcelona already have 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal occupying that exact position. So Roony may need to adapt or wait his turn.
What is certain is that this means something deep to Roony. He grew up with Messi posters on his wall. He watched the GOAT’s YouTube clips over and over. “It was always Messi,” he said. “No one else, to be honest, when I was young. I always watched his clips and always tried to do the same on the pitch. I just love Messi.”
Now he is wearing the same badge. Walking through the same tunnel. Taking his shot at living that same dream.
“That is what I am working towards every day, reaching my goal in five years,” he said. “If you are dreaming, dream big.”
At Secret Match Day, we will be watching this one closely. From backyard kickabouts in Kuwait to Camp Nou nights in Catalonia, Roony Bardghji is just getting started.
