At a glance
- FC Barcelona winger Roony Bardghji publicly stated that’s unhappy with his lack of club minutes while on international duty.
- Head coach Hansi Flick has praised the Swede’s hard work, but such remarks might not go down well.
- The talented winger has Lamine Yamal in his way at the Spotify Camp Nou.
FC Barcelona star Roony Bardghji simply stated “I deserve to play more” while on international duty with Sweden, in comments that might not go down well with head coach Hansi Flick.
The winger joined Barça from FC Copenhagen last summer for a few million euros, and has been praised by his manager for working hard while behind generational talent Lamine Yamal in the pecking order.
Asked about his lot at the Spotify Camp Nou ahead of Sweden taking on Ukraine in a World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal this week, however, Roony couldn’t hide his disappointment with being overlooked.
“The truth is that until this moment I have had little playing time,” he said to Sverige Television in his homeland, in quotes shared by SPORT. “I have patience but, honestly, I think I deserve to play more.”
Explicitly asked if he is happy with a reduced role, the 20-year-old answered: “No. One hundred percent. I’m not happy, but this is football. I respect those who have been in the squad for a long time, they are my teammates. I know what I can do, I have a lot of confidence in myself.”
Roony’s remarks might not please his FC Barcelona boss Flick
When asked about Roony’s case, Flick has been more than supportive.
Less than a fornight ago, the German said that the Kuwait-born attacker’s lack of minutes is “no problem”, because his player is “very professional and has an excellent attitude”.
“It’s not easy for him to play in this team, especially with the quality we have. We know who plays in his position and it’s not easy for him,” Flick added, in a nod to Lamine.
“But again, his mentality and attitude are very good. He does a great job in training.”
Speaking out about being unhappy might not please the manager, although he could also brush it off and instead be impressed by Roony’s desire to want to be on the pitch – as every professional should.
Is Roony right?
You can’t deny that the Scandinavian could be on to something, though.
Thus far in 2025/2026, he’s played just a total of 615 minutes with 384 of those coming in the league. As Flick highlighted, though, it is none other than teenage Ballon d’Or runner up Lamine in front of him.
Put simply, the boy wonder is undroppable. And as seen in San Mames where ReadBarcelona witnessed his typical curling left-footed screamer from the away end in a 1-0 win over Athletic Club this month, you often can’t take Lamine off either in case he comes up with a moment of magic worth three points.
In addition to that, Lamine is more familiar with Flick’s system, which his positional rival hasn’t quite mastered, and is also improving off the ball defensively.
All Roony can do is continue to work hard, and hope that there might be opportunities as the games pile up towards the end of the season.
