Joan Garcia registration gives Barcelona clear signal of goalkeeper plans

Barcelona have officially registered Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia with La Liga, confirming that the 25-year-old will begin the new season wearing the number one shirt.

The decision is an early indication of Garcia’s importance to the coaching staff and the club’s plans for the campaign ahead. His registration has also been completed significantly earlier than it was last season, according to Catalan newspaper Sport.

Barcelona only finalised Garcia’s registration shortly before their opening fixture last term, against Real Mallorca. He made his official debut for the club in that match after the long-term injury suffered by Marc-Andre ter Stegen was deemed to meet La Liga’s regulations for a serious injury.

Garcia will now take the shirt number worn by Germany international ter Stegen for several years before the veteran goalkeeper joined Ajax on loan. The change represents a clear show of confidence in the Spanish goalkeeper as he prepares for a season in which expectations surrounding his role are rising.

The reshuffle also affects Wojciech Szczesny. The Poland goalkeeper will wear number 13, the shirt previously assigned to Garcia last season, after moving away from number 25, which he had worn since arriving at Barcelona.

The decision to register Garcia comes 12 days before Barcelona begin their La Liga campaign. They will travel to face Elche at the Martinez Valero on Sunday, 23 August.

Barcelona’s preparations have been adjusted because 10 of their players were involved in a World Cup semi-final. The club are therefore beginning the new season under a different preparation schedule while finalising their squad arrangements.

More squad numbers are expected to be announced shortly, including those belonging to the club’s new arrivals. The list is expected to feature Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, as well as Jesse Bisseck.

It should also include players returning from loan spells, among them Hector Fort.

For now, Garcia is the first player whose status and shirt number have been confirmed. His move into the number one jersey comes after just one full season since his official first appearance for Barcelona, and provides the clearest early indication yet of how the club view him at the start of the new campaign.

The goalkeeper’s promotion follows a period in which Barcelona’s goalkeeping hierarchy changed significantly. Ter Stegen’s move to Ajax created an opening, while Szczesny’s switch to number 13 makes Garcia the principal holder of the club’s traditional first-choice goalkeeper shirt as the team approaches its opening league match.