Sergi Roberto

Sergi Roberto Carnicer (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛɾʒi ruˈβɛɾtu kəɾniˈse], born 7 February 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a defensive midfielder, full-back or winger.

He spent most of his career with Barcelona after making his first-team debut at the age of 18, going on to win several accolades with the club including seven La Liga championships and two Champions Leagues.

Roberto made his first full appearance for Spain in 2016.

Born in Reus, Tarragona, Catalonia, Roberto began playing football with local UE Barri Santes Creus at the age of 8, arriving in Barcelona's youth academy six years later from neighbours Gimnàstic de Tarragona. In the 2009–10 season, at only 17, he first appeared with Barça's reserves, contributing 29 appearances as they returned to the Segunda División after 11 years.

On 10 November 2010, Roberto made his debut for the first team, playing the second half of a 5–1 home win against Ceuta in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey (7–1 on aggregate). On 27 April of the following year he made his first UEFA Champions League appearance, coming on as a substitute for David Villa in the last minute of a 2–0 away victory over Real Madrid in the competition semi-finals' first leg.

Roberto first appeared in La Liga on 21 May 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 win at Málaga in the season's last round. His first start for the main squad came on 6 December of that year, against BATE Borisov in the Champions League group stage, as manager Pep Guardiola rested all his starters for the upcoming El Clásico: in the 35th minute, he opened the scoring in an eventual 4–0 home win.

In only his third official appearance for Barcelona's first team, on 12 January 2012, Roberto scored his second goal, helping the visitors come from behind to win 2–1 against Osasuna in the domestic cup (6–1 on aggregate). On 16 December 2014, also in that competition, he netted another, contributing to an 8–1 demolition of Huesca at the Camp Nou.

In the 2015–16 season, after being reconverted by manager Luis Enrique and merely months after nearly being deemed surplus to requirements, Roberto appeared as a right-back in several games. In two consecutive matches against Athletic Bilbao in January 2016, one in the league and another in the Spanish Cup, he featured on the other flank in the place of injured Jordi Alba, going on to play in as many as seven different positions.

On 23 August 2024, Roberto signed for Serie A club Como on a two-year deal. On 24 September, as the newly promoted side, coached by his former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fàbregas, won 3–2 at Atalanta, he assisted Gabriel Strefezza in the first goal after backheeling a pass from Ignace Van Der Brempt.

Roberto scored his only goal on 27 January 2026, when he equalised an eventual 3–1 away victory over Fiorentina in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia. He contributed 20 games (24 in all competitions) during the season, helping his team to qualify for the Champions League after finishing a best-ever fourth; the 34-year-old left in June upon the expiration of his contract.

On 8 August 2026, Roberto joined LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer on a free transfer, signing a contract through 2028 with an option to extend for an additional season.

In October 2009, shortly after making his Barcelona B debut, Roberto was called by the Spain under-17 team for the 2009 FIFA World Cup in Nigeria. On 5 November, before being substituted by Javier Espinosa in the 88th minute, he scored a hat-trick against Burkina Faso at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. Spain eventually finished third in the tournament, with him and Atlético Madrid's Borja Bastón accounting for eight of the team's total goals.

Roberto made his debut for the under-21 side on 5 September 2011, playing the last four minutes of the 2–0 win in Lugo over Georgia for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. He received his first call up to the senior squad in March 2016, for friendlies against Romania and Italy. His debut took place in the former match on the 27th, as he started in a 0–0 draw in Cluj-Napoca.

Roberto was selected by Luis Enrique to the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals. He featured in the 2–1 semi-final win over Italy for the runners-up.

Roberto plays predominantly as a midfielder, but also excels as a full-back. In the 2015–16 season, under Luis Enrique, he played in seven different positions with Barcelona. This versatility, combined with his pace, strength, rigorous work rate and accurate passing earned the praise of the manager: "In a team like ours, except in goal, he could play in any position, it's no surprise. The most difficult thing is doing it well all over the field and Sergi Roberto does that." He is best utilised as a box-to-box player.

In 2014, Roberto started dating Israeli model Coral Simanovich (step-daughter of Israeli businesswoman Pnina Rosenblum). They became engaged in early September 2017, and got married in Tel Aviv on 30 May 2018. Their first child, Kaia, was born in 2019.

La Liga: 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23

Copa del Rey: 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21

UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016