Flawless dribbles and pinpoint passes – €7.5m-rated Barcelona talent steals the spotlight vs Kobe – Opinion | OneFootball

FC Barcelona played their first pre-season friendly ahead of the 2024/25 season against Vissel Kobe in Japan. It was the first of three games that Hansi Flick’s men will play on their Asian tour, and it got off to an excellent start.

The Catalan club defeated their Japanese counterparts 3–1, with goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji, and Pedro Fernandez securing the win. The standout performer on the night was the new summer arrival, Roony Bardghji.

Having joined from Copenhagen, the teenage talent was initially announced as a reserve team player. However, his performances in training earned him a place with the first team for the pre-season tour, and yesterday clearly showed why.

Bardghji did not put a foot wrong

What a debut that was from Roony Bardghji. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

Bardghji came on at the start of the second half, replacing Lamine Yamal on the right flank, and didn’t put a foot wrong. His link-up play was a joy to watch, and he displayed the kind of spatial awareness and associative play that would make a La Masia youngster proud.

As per stats from Sofascore, Bardghji played 45 minutes against Kobe and scored one goal. He registered one shot on target, one off target, and had another effort blocked during his time on the pitch. He also completed both of his attempted dribbles, finishing the match with a perfect 100% success rate.

The teenager was heavily involved, as reflected by his 30 touches, and he completed 16 of his 19 attempted passes with an accuracy of 84%, including one key pass. Bardghji also impressed defensively, winning two out of three ground duels.

A Glorious Opportunity for a First-Team Berth at Barcelona

Coming to the goal that he scored, it undoubtedly was a thing of beauty. The €7.5m-rated Swedish youngster made the perfect late run into the box to be found by Robert Lewandowski, and he unleashed a curler into the far post that almost went parallel to the ground.

Without a doubt, based on what Bardghji showed against Kobe, it’s clear he is set to get more minutes in the upcoming pre-season games. If he continues to build on this performance, there’s every chance he could become a part of the Barcelona first-team setup. Let’s wait and see how he fares in the coming week.