Barcelona unveils Rodri with number 16 as Hansi Flick calls him the best number 6 around

Some signings get announced with a press release and that's it. Others arrive with a video of the coach himself explaining just how hard he fought to land the player. Rodri's move to Barcelona falls into the second category. Hours after the transfer of the Spanish midfielder, who will wear number 16, became official, Hansi Flick appeared in a recorded message to make clear this signing was anything but ordinary.

"It was a great opportunity for us and we were all 100 percent convinced. He's a fantastic player and he'll bring special qualities to the team," said the German coach, who didn't hold back when describing the former Manchester City man's playing style.

I think Rodri is, maybe, the best number 6 out there. He can control the game, but he also helps a lot defensively.Hansi Flick

It's worth putting the signing in context: Rodri is Barcelona's fourth addition of this summer transfer window. Before him, the club had already sealed the arrivals of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu. With the Spaniard on board, Flick has added pieces across different areas of the pitch, but few generated as much buzz as a defensive midfielder who arrives with a reputation as one of the best in the world in his position.

Flick didn't stop at generic praise. He also went into detail on why he believes Rodri can raise the overall level of the locker room: "He knows a lot. Aerial duels are very important for us. And, of course, he raises the level of every player," the German coach concluded.

First training session and the Gamper doubt

Now officially presented, amid a level of anticipation in the city rarely seen for a signing, Rodri reported to Flick this Wednesday and completed his first session with the group at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. He'll later set foot in Camp Nou for the first time, though not yet as an active player: he won't take part in the Trofeu Joan Gamper against Egypt's Al-Ahly, but he will be present to be introduced to the Barcelona faithful.

So when's the real debut coming? Rodri underwent back surgery after the World Cup, but he himself put any doubts about his physical condition to rest at his presentation press conference, posing happily in the jersey with number 16 on his back.

I'm ready right now. The surgery was nothing, just an outpatient procedure, and I came out of it like it was nothing.Rodri

With his coach's backing and the player himself insisting he's ready, the question is no longer whether Rodri can strengthen Barcelona's midfield, but when he'll do it for the first time wearing the blue and red in an official match.