Roony Bardghji: Barcelona-bound wing wizard who's already slain Man Utd in his teenage years

Although he holds Swedish nationality, Bardghji's life began 4,000km away in Kuwait, where he was born to Syrian parents. He would play football with his dad - a Manchester United fan, hence the name - from the age of three, but his journey began in earnest when his family emigrated to Scandinavia when he was seven years old. After excelling in amateur youth teams in the south of Sweden, he was plucked by Malmo in 2019.

Immediately it was decided that the then-14-year-old could mix it with the big boys, and he was subsequently thrown in at the deep end with the club's Under-19s - a step up that didn't faze him in the slightest.

"What mainly struck me was his dedication in wanting to get better and train," Malmo U19s coach Jeffrey Aubynn told Sportexpressen. "Then, he had qualities in his technique, his game understanding and how he combined with team-mates which were at an incredibly high level considering his age."

But Bardghji hadn't just caught his coach's eye. He only spent a year with Di Blae before he was poached by Danish giants Copenhagen - Malmo's neighbours on the other side of the Oresund Bridge, despite being in another country altogether - in a murky deal that involved an astronomical signing-on fee and allegedly broke all unofficial rules for transferring youth players.

Bardghji maintained his status as an U19 player at Copenhagen, and by 2021 he had done enough to earn a call-up to then-manager Jess Thorup's first-team squad. Danish Superliga rules prevent players from making their senior debuts until they turn 16, and Thorup wasted no time in involving Bardghji - throwing the teenager into his starting line-up against AGF just six days on from his 16th birthday to make him FCK's youngest-ever player.

A week later against AaB, Bardghji made more history and truly announced himself at Denmark's biggest club. In what has become a trademark manoeuvre, Bardghji cut inside from the right before unleashing a strike into the bottom corner from 25 yards out, becoming the youngest goal-scorer in Danish top-flight history.

The prodigious youngster has remained in the first-team picture ever since, and another headline-grabber came when opposition from England came to town in November 2023 during the Champions League group stage. Copenhagen were already on course to take a highly creditable point from the mighty Manchester United, with the scores locked at 3-3 as the clock ticked towards the 90th minute at the Parken Stadium - but Bardghji had other ideas. After Harry Maguire and co failed to deal with an out-swinging cross, the attacker pounced on the loose ball and expertly lashed a shot into the turf that looped into the back of the net.

Not only had Bardghji bagged a famous winner, but he had also become the youngest player ever to score against United in the Champions League, and Copenhagen's youngest-ever scorer in the competition. Another historic moment, this time six days prior to his birthday rather than six days after.

That was the game that propelled him into the limelight, but it wasn't even his first big-game late show of the season. With FCK 2-1 down in the Copenhagen derby against city rivals Brondby back in September, Bardghji was afforded just 11 minutes to make a difference off the bench. The full-time score? 3-2 to Copenhagen courtesy of a five-minute brace from their rising star.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that fateful November was the ignition to Bardghji's long career at the top level. However, he hasn't been fortunate enough to kick on in the way the world had envisaged.

He spent the remainder of the 2023-24 season in and out of the Copenhagen starting line up, totalling 10 goals in 34 senior appearances, though notably not tallying a single assist. Then, disaster struck. During a routine training session in May 2024, Bardghji sustained a serious knee injury, which would rule him out for the following 334 days.

It was a hefty blow just as the winger was building momentum as one of Europe's top prospects, missing a whopping 48 games with Copenhagen. Bardghji eventually made his return in the Superliga championship play-offs on 31 March, 2025, making a nine-minute cameo in a 1-0 victory at home to Randers, but three further substitute appearances and two starts later, he was again ruled out for the season with a minor injury.

For the first time in two years, Bardghji will be able to prepare for a full campaign with a pre-season and decent period of rest under his belt. The hope is he can rediscover that sharpness and fluidity quickly, ensuring what happened in 2023-24 was the start of something significant and not merely a purple patch.

As a tricky winger, it is perhaps unsurprising that Bardghji's most eye-catching traits are his dribbling and footwork, while his ability to find and manipulate space belies his tender age.

He is adept at keeping the ball, either through his carrying or by picking a pass at the right time. The early signs are that he possesses excellent vision, too, although that is yet to be reflected in his assist and key pass statistics. When surrounded by more premier talent and clinical finishers, they should shoot up.

Taking inspiration from his near namesake, Wayne, Bardghji proved himself a steady source of goals for Copenhagen during his ascendance and before that pesky knee injury. Though Danish club football is far from the pinnacle of the European game, he still has plenty of winners medals in his cabinet after playing a part in three Superliga triumphs and two cup victories.

A big ego seems to be part and parcel of being a footballing superstar in the modern era, with a healthy dose of arrogance serving as self-motivation for some of the world's best players. It's certainly something Bardghji doesn't lack in. "This kid actually thinks he’s born to score the winner in games like these," Copenhagen's head coach, Jacob Neestrup, said after the Manchester United victory.

Speaking to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen in 2023, the teenager said: "My goal is to become the best player in the world. I have had that in mind since I was little and no one can stop me except myself."

After being overlooked for the senior Sweden squad, he told the same publication: "It's not something I care about actually, it's what someone else thinks... How much more do you have to do as a 17-year-old to get a call-up?"

There is potential for Bardghji's egotism to stray into petulance, but from a footballing perspective, FCK fan site owner Kasper Larsen told The Athletic: "His defending can be much better. But he’s young. And he’s not that fast and I think in modern football you need to be fast. But he has a lot of potential and I don’t think we’ve even seen half of it. He certainly has the mentality."

Now, it would be very, very easy to compare Bardghji to another young left-footed right winger at Barcelona by the name of Lamine Yamal. Which, you know, is exactly why he isn't the comparable player here. How can one player be the next version of another if they're older than them already?

Besides, at this rate, Yamal has that position at Barca locked up for the next two decades potentially. If Bardghji is to make a significant contribution to the Blaugrana, he will have to fit in around their homegrown hero, and that's one reason why Raphinha is the comparison.

Both Bardghji and the Brazilian are best when taking shots off the dribble, whereas Yamal is an elite creator and facilitator for other scoring options. Where other forwards go cratering into defenders at breakneck pace wastefully, these two find a way to switch gears in their stride to keep the ball glued to their feet. If the Swede's scoring talent translates to playing in Spain, then he will prove a useful player for Barcelona after all.

Bardghji may have dreamed of Madrid growing up, but Barcelona is quite the consolation prize in that regard. If there is one elite club who can be trusted to develop youth all the while winning trophies, it's the giants of Catalunya.

Displacing Yamal will prove almost impossible, and the potential signing of Nico Williams may further limit first-team opportunities. Nevertheless, this is an opportunity for Bardghji to be where he believes he belongs, yet only time will tell if that judgement is well placed or not.

Bardghji's agent, Christian Emile, previously said: "He's one of the most exciting talents in the world and also the future of Swedish football since Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], it's natural that he is being monitored by major clubs. It's too early to say now… but one thing is for sure - you'll get used to seeing Roony perform on the biggest stage." Here's your chance to shine, Roony.