Heavy Blow for Barcelona: Bardghji Tears ACL Again
The young Swedish winger Roony Bardghji was injured in training and faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines, while plans for a loan move to Ajax have fallen through.
The young Swedish winger Roony Bardghji was injured in training and faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines, while plans for a loan move to Ajax have fallen through.
Roony Bardghji, Barcelona's 20-year-old winger and Swedish international, suffered a serious knee injury during training on Monday. Although the Catalan club has not yet made an official statement, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that it is a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which will require another surgery and a six-to-seven-month recovery period.
Romano broke the news on his Telegram channel on Monday, August 10, 2026, with the message: "Barcelona winger Roony Bardghji has torn his ACL and will be out for the next 6-7 months. Terrible news for the Swedish winger who was about to leave on loan to get more minutes. Get well soon!"
Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" reported that Barcelona has decided to keep the details of the injury under wraps for now, citing confidentiality, and that the young Swede is awaiting the results of further medical tests to confirm the exact diagnosis. However, fears are already high—the paper suggests that everything points to a recurrence of the ligament tear.
This is a particularly painful blow for the young Swede, as it is the second such injury of his career. Two years ago, while still playing for Copenhagen, Bardghji tore the ACL in the same right knee. He was sidelined for ten months at that time. The first serious injury occurred in May 2024, followed by a grueling rehabilitation.
Bardghji left training in tears, fully aware of the severity of the situation. He is expected to miss nearly the entire season due to this new layoff, with a return to the pitch possible only in 2027. An official confirmation from the club is still pending.
The injury comes at the worst possible time, not only for the player but also for the club's plans. Bardghji was close to agreeing to a temporary move to gain more playing time and further develop his skills. It was precisely because of these negotiations that he did not travel with the team to the friendly tournament in Udine last Saturday. Barcelona had also considered a transfer with a buy-back option.
However, those plans have now completely fallen through. The news has also hit hard in Amsterdam, where Ajax saw Bardghji as the ideal replacement in case Mike Godts left. Jordi Cruyff, who serves as Ajax's sporting director, will likely now consider other options, with Noa Lang emerging as the most likely candidate.
Barcelona will start the new season in the second round of La Liga, as the club was granted a postponement due to the large number of players who participated in the World Cup finals.
Bardghji joined Barcelona in the summer of 2025 from Copenhagen for two million euros. So far, he has made 28 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan club, scoring two goals and providing four assists. He has earned three caps for the Swedish senior national team.
