Agreement for the arrival of Ricky Rubio

FC Barcelona and Ricky Rubio have reached an agreement for the Catalan guard to join the Club until the end of the season. This agreement depends on the player's progress as he finds himself in the final stages of his recovery. 

Barça have registered the player in the ACB and Euroleague after he underwent the usual medical tests at the Ciutat Esportiva and the Hospital de Barcelona. Ricky Rubio's return to competition will come when the player himself decides the time is right. 

A first week of training 

Ricky Rubio joined the dynamic of Roger Grimau's squad on 30 January. As he explained on his own social media platforms, the idea was to deal with the final stage of his recovery (the player had recently put an end to his career in the NBA due to mental health issues).

After a week of training with the team, Rubio has decided to sign a contract with FC Barcelona. The Club has registered the player in time for him to compete in the ACB and the Euroleague in 2023/24 with the registration window closing on Wednesday 7 February. 

Eight trophies in two seasons at Barça

In his first spell as a Barça player Ricky Rubio won no less than eight trophies: two Catalan league, two Copas del Rey, a league title in 2010/11 and the Euroleague title in 2009/10. 

The second Euroleague title in his the Club's history was lifted by the then captain and now coach Roger Grimau. Rubio also teams up with more former team mates in Juan Carlos Navarro, now manager of the team, and assistant coach Víctor Sada. 

In total the guard played 140 games for Barça, 84 in the ACB, 42 in the Euroleague, 6 in the Copa del Rey, 4 in the Super Cup and 4 in the Catalan League. 

Long career in the NBA

Born in 1990 in Masnou, close to Barcelona, Ricky Rubio arrived at FC Barcelona in 2009 at the age of 19. He had previously played for Masnou and then Joventut Badalona with whom he made his debut in the ACB at the age of just 14. After his two season at Barça, he left for the NBA where made 712 appearance in 12 seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Rubio's time in the USA was marked by two serious knee injuries, first in 2012 and then in 2021. The guard left his mark on the league, leading the stats for steals in 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2015/16 and establishing himself as well known figure in world basketball. 

Success with the national team 

With the Spanish national team, Ricky Rubio has also enjoyed great success for over a decade. A fixture in the team from youth level, he made his debut for the team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and took a silver medal. Since then he has made a total of 157 appearances and was named MVP in Spain's World Championship winning campaign in 2019. Rubio also claimed gold in the Eurobasket competitions in 2009 and 2011, bronze in 2013 and 2017 and another bronze in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.