There is no doubt that only one man in the entire current Barcelona dressing room has a genuine understanding of what it means to climb the European mountain. The Spanish midfielder Rodri, came to the Camp Nou precisely for this reason, with winning La Liga being a wonderful achievement, but the ultimate aim for any team of this stature has to be to finally win the prize that has eluded Catalonia for so long.
However, if fans are expecting Barca to stroll to the final after putting in some of the most exciting performances in the competition, prepare yourselves to be let down.
"I don't think we are favorites to win the Champions League," said Rodri bluntly while removing any delusions of grandeur. "The team needs to improve several details to become a champion."
He couldn't be more correct either, as the Catalans have had a number of heartbreaking European exits in recent years, having often lost key duels or simply failed to cope with the pressure that comes with the knockout rounds.
Just look at their infamous collapses, be it against Inter Milan or the numerous red cards in the tie against PSG and Atletico Madrid. It's not a secret that Barcelona's mentality often breaks under pressure in the business end of the tournament.
"Players like myself were bought for this purpose. I think the Champions League is not necessarily for the best team, but a tournament of moments," Rodri added. "In the Champions League, you have to control the moments in the knockouts. Red cards, penalties, conceding goals. These are the things that define whether you qualify or not."
This is the main problem for Barcelona at the moment, as simply playing attractive attacking football isn't going to be enough to get them past Europe's toughest tests.
The team has to show incredible mental toughness to withstand the pressure from fans and opponents during the knockout rounds, something that you simply can't buy or learn from someone else.
"After all, before you win, you must lose, and you must learn," said Rodri, who knows a thing or two about losing heartbreaking Champions League finals with Manchester City in recent years before finally tasting success in 2023.
It remains to be seen whether Barcelona can learn from their own European heartbreaks and move past the mental barrier that has stopped them from winning the prize that so many have desired for so long.
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