Barcelona, Spain – New Barcelona signing Marcus Rashford is set to make his home debut this Sunday against Como in a final friendly before the La Liga season begins. However, his initial appearance in the city is far from what he might have envisioned. The match will be played at Barca’s training ground, and his availability for next weekend’s league opener against Mallorca is still uncertain, symptomatic of a typically chaotic two weeks for the Spanish champions.
Ter Stegen Saga and Financial Fair Play Headaches
Life at FC Barcelona, or ‘Can Barca,’ is rarely uneventful. Rashford’s arrival has been overshadowed by a series of dramatic sagas, most notably involving club captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The dispute threatened to delay Rashford’s league debut and highlighted Barcelona’s ongoing financial struggles.
Ter Stegen, a club legend with over 400 appearances and 17 trophies, recently underwent back surgery after playing only nine games last season due to injuries. The summer signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol for €25 million suggested the club’s intent to replace their captain.
Barcelona is currently facing a critical issue with La Liga’s strict financial guidelines, preventing them from registering new signings like Rashford and Garcia. The initial plan to sell Ter Stegen to free up salary space was thwarted by his surgery. This led Barcelona to devise a controversial plan: de-register their captain until January. Ter Stegen initially resisted signing the necessary paperwork, arguing his injury would only sideline him until November. Barcelona reacted by opening disciplinary proceedings and stripping him of the captaincy. However, the situation was resolved on Friday, August 8, 2025, when Ter Stegen relented and signed the authorization to send his medical report to La Liga, leading to the disciplinary case being closed and his captaincy reinstated. He will spend the next few months as an unregistered player in rehab and is likely to be sold in January, which should then allow for the registration of Rashford and other new players.
Camp Nou Reconstruction Delays Continue
Adding to the off-field drama is the ongoing, protracted reconstruction of the iconic Camp Nou. Barcelona has spent the past two seasons playing at the city’s Olympic Stadium while their home undergoes a major redevelopment, costing over £1 billion and aiming to add 10,000 seats, a roof, and enhanced corporate facilities.
The project has faced significant delays, with the originally scheduled reopening in December 2024 long missed. What was earmarked as the grand opening for this weekend’s friendly against Como also proved impossible, leading to the match being moved to the smaller, 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium at the training ground.
The next critical milestone is the weekend of September 13-14, when Barcelona hopes to host Valencia for their delayed home opener in round four of La Liga. Recent photos of the construction site show progress with lower tiers and the pitch laid, but substantial work remains. Local authorities have conditionally agreed to grant safety certificates for approximately 27,000 fans for the Valencia game, dependent on timely completion of necessary construction. This puts the club in a race against the clock, with no tickets yet on sale or venue confirmed. The full completion of the stadium, allowing for a capacity of over 100,000, remains a distant prospect, potentially even beyond Rashford’s tenure at the club.
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