After spending nearly two decades at Barcelona and two seasons at Como, Roberto has traded European football for Southern California, where he's quickly established himself as an important figure for LA Galaxy. And as his former teammates prepare for another showdown against Real Madrid, Roberto will be gearing up for a different kind of rivalry against LAFC.

"A match against Real Madrid is a little different from any other match, because, at the end of the day, you’re going up against your eternal rival," stated Roberto in an exclusive Flashscore interview.

"Since I’m from there, all of my friends and family are Barca fans, and they would always send me special messages during the week to help me win the game. El Clasico is always like a final, where, even if a victory is worth only 3 points, it’s still very special to win."

Born on February 7th, 1992, in Reus, Spain, Roberto started playing with local sides UE Barri Santes Creus and Gimnastic de Tarragona before joining FC Barcelona’s academy in 2006. At the time, Barcelona were in the midst of a revival that saw them end a six-year trophy drought and win their first UEFA Champions League title since 1992.

Powered by a golden generation of La Masia graduates, Barcelona would establish themselves as one of the most dominant sides in football history.

After helping Luis Enrique’s Barcelona B return to the Segunda Division after 11 seasons, Roberto made his first-team debut under Pep Guardiola in a Copa del Rey win vs Ceuta. Five months later, he made his second appearance and helped to see out a 2-0 win at Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semifinal.

Barcelona would draw 1-1 the following week to secure their spot in the final, where they defeated Manchester United. Roberto would have to wait 851 days before his third appearance, asserting himself as an important squad player under Tata Martino before reuniting with Enrique in 2015.

Whilst his role wasn’t quite as pronounced as other academy products like Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta, Roberto nevertheless played his part in a historic season that saw them win five trophies and return to European football’s pinnacle for the fourth time in a decade.

It didn’t matter whether he was playing as a right back or as a left back or as a box-to-box or holding midfielder; Roberto got the job done. Even when he filled in for Messi on the right flank, he delivered in spades by assisting Luis Suarez’s opener in a 4-0 demolition of Real at the Bernabeu on November 21st, 2015.

On March 8th, 2017, Roberto etched his name into Barcelona folklore with one of the most iconic goals in club history. Having lost 4-0 in the first leg at Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona were 30 seconds away from elimination when Neymar Jr. floated a last-gasp cross into the penalty area.

Roberto timed his run to perfection and stretched out his right leg to divert the ball past Kevin Trapp, thus securing Barcelona’s passage to the Champions League quarterfinals and completing one of the greatest comebacks in football history.

"I'm not a player who scores many goals, but I happened to score that comeback goal, which I think was one of the most special moments for not just me, but for all the Barca fans. Everyone always reminds me of it when they see me; when they ask for a photo, they always remember that goal against Paris Saint-Germain. 

"It's a source of pride for me that people remember that moment, and without a doubt, it was a super special moment for me."

There’s an argument to be made that the remontada ultimately did more harm than good for Barcelona, who crashed out to Juventus in the following round and watched Real Madrid claim a third Champions League title in four years. The comeback masked deeper structural problems, reinforcing the belief that individual brilliance could compensate for the team's systemic shortcomings.

After PSG triggered Neymar's €222 million release clause that summer, Barcelona responded by splashing enormous sums on the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann rather than building a balanced team around Messi.

These costly gambles contributed to a financial crisis that Barcelona still haven’t recovered from, and which eventually forced them to part ways with their greatest-ever player in 2021, allowing Messi to join PSG on a free transfer. Since that historic comeback, PSG have reached three Champions League finals, winning the last two, whilst Barcelona have yet to return to European football's biggest stage.

Yet despite the clubs' contrasting fortunes, Roberto's goal remains etched in the memories of Barca supporters. Nearly a decade later, as thousands of Cules descended on the Ville Lumiere for Tuesday's match, they were still chanting the name of the man who had broken Parisian hearts.

Whilst Barcelona have been overtaken by PSG on the European stage, they have continued to enjoy domestic success against their archnemesis thanks in no small part to Roberto. After registering assists in both league Clasicos in 2017/18, Roberto set up two goals in a 5-1 demolition of Real Madrid in October 2018, before teeing up Ivan Rakitic's winner at the Santiago Bernabeu the following March.

He would finally get on the scoresheet himself on March 19th, 2023, equalising in a dramatic comeback victory that helped Barcelona take a decisive step towards their first LaLiga title in four years.

Having emerged victorious in 10 of his 21 Clasico appearances, Roberto knows what it takes to overcome Real Madrid, and he's backing his former teammates to bounce back from their first defeat of the season and emerge victorious in the 265th edition of El Clasico.

"I listened to my former teammate Rafinha’s statements yesterday: he said that the 4-2 loss at PSG wouldn’t affect the Clasico at all, and I completely agree. They're different competitions and different teams: PSG plays very differently from Real Madrid. I saw the match against PSG, it was incredible: two teams that were always going to do a lot of damage to each other. 

"I think the match against Real will be a little bit different: they don't have as much possession as PSG had on Tuesday. They’re different matches, and I don’t expect it to impact the Clasico at all. Barcelona are playing incredible football, and I think they need to approach this match like it’s any other game. This is the path that they have to follow, and I see them doing very well."

Roberto inherited the captaincy following Busquets' departure in 2023, before bringing his Barcelona journey to an end the following summer.

18 years after arriving at La Masia, Roberto departed with 19 goals and 43 assists in 373 appearances and a trophy cabinet boasting seven LaLiga championships, six Copa del Rey triumphs, two Champions League medals, three Supercopa de Espana titles, as well as a FIFA Club World Cup (now the FIFA Intercontinental Cup) and a UEFA Super Cup.

Rather than remain in Spain, Roberto embarked on a new adventure in Italy, reuniting with former teammate Cesc Fabregas at newly promoted Como. He helped them finish 10th in their first Serie A campaign in 21 years, before overcoming injury problems to establish himself as a key figure in their midfield during the second half of 2025/26.

His growing influence was evident in the Coppa Italia quarterfinal against Napoli, where he captained Como to victory and helped them equal their best-ever run in the competition. Como appeared destined for the final after racing into a two-goal lead at the San Siro, only for Inter to turn the tie on its head with three goals in the final half-hour, eventually completing the domestic double.

Nevertheless, Roberto's composure and experience helped Como regroup and finish the season on a high, securing an unprecedented fourth-place finish and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Having helped transform the Lariani from newly promoted outsiders into European contenders, Roberto decided to embark on another adventure, swapping the shores of Lake Como for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

"I think I helped the team. Como had just been promoted to Serie A with so many players from the second division, so they needed a bit of experience and a little help to make things easier for the team. I also helped the coach, Cesc, who is a great friend of mine, and I tried to help him in every way possible.

"It was a source of pride to take the team from the second division to the Champions League. They're doing things very well, and they just beat Manchester United 4-1."

Having watched former Barcelona teammates like Alexis Sanchez, Cristian Tello, Busquets, Alba and Jonathan dos Santos cross the Atlantic and play in Major League Soccer, Roberto decided to follow in their footsteps. Whilst a reunion with Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami appeared to be on the cards, he instead headed west to join MLS' most decorated club in LA Galaxy, reconvening with ex-teammate Riqui Puig.

He's wasted little time making his mark, featuring in eight of their last nine matches (starting six) and providing an assist in last week's 2-2 draw against San Diego FC.

Roberto will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on Sunday's El Clasico, which could see Barcelona move nine points clear of Real Madrid. But five hours later, he'll have a derby of his own to contest: El Trafico. The Galaxy are winless in their last three meetings with LAFC and haven't claimed a league victory at BMO Stadium since 2020.

With the six-time MLS Cup winners sitting eighth in the Western Conference, just one point above Colorado Rapids and two behind Seattle Sounders (both of whom have a game in hand), Sunday's showdown could prove crucial to their playoff ambitions.

Roberto has already experienced the intensity of El Clasico, the euphoria of the remontada, and the pressure of leading Barcelona as captain, but now he faces a new challenge in Los Angeles.

He may no longer be wearing the Blaugrana shirt, but he'll be hoping to bring the same winning mentality that served him so well against Real Madrid into his first El Trafico.