As the summer transfer window heats up, Barcelona fans are gearing up for a flurry of World Cup action across North America. While many of the club's stars will be representing their nations on football's biggest stage, one young talent will be conspicuously absent: Roony Bardghji.
The 20-year-old Swedish winger, who has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this summer, was notably left out of Sweden's 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup. The decision by manager Graham Potter has raised eyebrows across Scandinavia, especially given Bardghji's recent uptick in playing time at the newly-crowned La Liga champions.
Bardghji's debut season at Barcelona has been a mixed bag. While he hasn't seen as much pitch time as he would have hoped, his flashes of brilliance have been enough to earn him a spot in Sweden's setup—including their successful playoff campaign in March. But according to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet (via 3cat), Potter's decision to leave him out of the World Cup squad wasn't about his on-field performance.
The report suggests that Bardghji left a poor impression on the coaching staff during the March international break. After helping Sweden secure their World Cup spot, the Barcelona winger is alleged to have displayed a bad attitude at the team hotel—a detail that apparently stuck with Potter when finalizing his roster.
Potter's own words to the media after announcing the squad seem to support this narrative. "From a competition perspective, there are others ahead right now," he explained. "It is also about how 26 players travel together, how they manage their free time together, how they act and the different profiles according to age and experience." He added, "I love them both. They have incredibly exciting careers ahead of them."
For Bardghji, missing out on the World Cup is undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow. And for Barcelona, it's a double blow—not only does the club lose a player's tournament experience, but it also misses a prime opportunity to showcase him in the shop window ahead of what promises to be a busy summer transfer window.