Watch: Barcelona fans welcome Rodri with thunderous ovation

Watch: Barcelona fans welcome Rodri with thunderous ovation The Joan Gamper Trophy has now reached its 61st edition. The occasion, the traditional curtain-raiser for the new campaign, serves primarily as FC Barcelona’s opportunity to present the squad for the upcoming season, along with the club’s new arrivals. And, it was the same earlier today as Barcelona walked out their entire current squad in front of the fans ahead of the Gamper Trophy match against Al Ahly. One by one, the players walked out onto the field when their names were called, and were greeted with enthusiastic applause from the fans in the stands. Rodri’s special welcome However, it was the three summer signings, Rodri, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi that seemed to generate the most excitement in the stands. In fact, the Barcelona supporters were particularly enamoured with Rodri, whose signing was only confirmed on Tuesday, with the midfielder arriving from Manchester City, after snubbing arch-rivals Real Madrid. When the Spotify Camp Nou announcer introduced Rodri, the foundations of the stadium seemed to shake. The former Manchester City midfielder received a thunderous ovation, with the crowd repeatedly chanting, “Rodri, Rodri, Rodri,” while president Joan Laporta watched with a huge smile. It was a surreal welcome for the 30-year-old midfielder, who arrives at the club as the best player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup , having led Spain to the trophy and won the Golden Ball. Rodri, who has been given the No. 16 shirt, could not hide his happiness at the reception, while his teammates too were filled with happiness as the fans welcomed the new signing in a special fashion. Debut will have to wait Rodri was greeted with a rousing ovation by fans at Camp Nou. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) While Rodri may have been presented to the fans today, they will have to wait to watch the Spaniard in action in Barcelona colours. The World Cup winner has only trained once with the team, which happened this morning, and as such, he has not been included in the squad list for the Gamper Trophy match. However, the €76.5 million signing from Manchester City could make his maiden appearance for Barcelona at the weekend when they face Elche in their La Liga opener.