Barcelona has received good news regarding new signings’ registration: first-choice goalkeeper Juan García and left winger Marcus Rashford have officially completed registration and will feature in the first round of the new season! When it comes to player registration, one cannot ignore the "professionalism" of Barça president Joan Laporta: since he took office, he has never messed up a registration—only the departure of Lionel Messi back then remains an eternal regret.
Previously, there were concerns that Barça lacked sufficient registration space, even deterring many potential signings, but Laporta once again proved these worries unfounded with actions. Contrast this with the farce involving Nico Williams: during his transfer negotiations, Nico pressured Barça by saying "he would leave as a free agent if registration failed," but in reality, he wanted to use Barça to demand a higher salary. Barça firmly rejected this, and Nico eventually stayed at Athletic Bilbao—proving the so-called "registration issue" was just an excuse.
García and Rashford, however, were completely different—they fully trusted Laporta’s ability to handle registration. Rashford, in particular, was a "backup option" for Barça’s left flank: the club initially pursued Nico Williams, then Liverpool’s Luis Díaz, and only turned to Rashford when those deals fell through. It’s worth noting that Barça’s left flank is known as a "cursed position"; apart from Thierry Henry, David Villa, Neymar, and Ousmane Dembélé, few players have managed to establish themselves there. Though Rashford carries expectations for the role, he never worried about registration.
Yet few realize that registration is also a "delay tactic" for Laporta: when he wants to push a player out but has no other way, he uses registration issues to put the player on a moral pedestal and criticize them, forcing their departure; when signing new players, he uses limited registration space to make them give up some benefits. This trick has always worked. But the key fact remains: under Laporta’s leadership, Barça has never failed at registration—except for failing to retain Lionel Messi in 2021. This "professionalism" still leaves many fans sighing.
