Softfootball reports that Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García is finally edging his way back to Match action after the November international break, and Barcelona has pretty much confirmed it, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano via his official X account.
The 24-year-old is expected to rejoin the first team for the first game right after the break, as we reported that the Spanish goalie had already started training with the team as he continue to build his fitness, which honestly feels long overdue considering how much they’ve missed his presence.
Fabrizio tweeted:
García has been working his way back from an arthroscopic surgery on the torn medial meniscus in his left knee, and when he picked up the injury in September, the club said he was expected to be out for four to six weeks, give or take, so his return window was always somewhere around early to mid-November anyway.
Even though he’s looked sharper during team training, Barça didn’t want to risk anything. Flick straight-up ruled him out for the Champions League tie against Club Brugge and then again for the La Liga game with Celta Vigo. He did mention, though, that García’s rehab is going “really good” and that the keeper has been looking lively in training sessions, almost like he didn’t miss that much time.
Right now, the plan is to ease him back properly. If nothing strange happens, the match against Athletic Club on November 22, 2025, should be the day he officially returns.
The timing works with the club’s usual careful approach, and honestly, with Szczęsny stepping in and doing a solid-enough job, the team will not be under undue pressure to ease in their no. 1 goalie.
García is still a big part of Flick’s long-term idea for the squad, and getting him back now should help a team that’s still missing Raphinha, Pedri, Gavi and even Marc-André ter Stegen.
There’s also a quiet hope floating around that his comeback will line up nicely with the grand reopening of the newly renovated Spotify Camp Nou, a little symbolic boost the fans would absolutely love.
