Barcelona midfielder Rodri has apologised to Valencia after television footage appeared to show him describing the La Liga club as “very weak” during Barcelona’s 5-0 victory at Mestalla on Sunday.
According to the BBC, Rodri allegedly made the remarks to Barcelona teammates Pau Cubarsí and Raphinha while sitting on the bench after he was substituted.
Although the footage had no audio, Spanish broadcaster Movistar reported that lip-readers interpreted Rodri as saying, “They’re really weak. They haven’t got past the halfway line.”
The alleged comments drew criticism from Valencia supporters and sections of the Spanish media, with the midfielder accused of disrespecting the struggling club.
Rodri, however, said the remarks were made during a private conversation and had been taken out of context. He also revealed that he had apologised to Valencia captain and Spain teammate José Gayà, as well as the rest of the squad.
“I also want to make it clear that it was simply an expression of surprise,” Rodri said after Barcelona’s 5-1 Champions League victory over Feyenoord on Wednesday.
“At no point did I intend to mock anyone or take a difficult moment for a team out of context.”
He added, “But at no point did I mean any disrespect. My apologies to Valencia.”
Valencia are currently bottom of La Liga after failing to win any of their opening four matches, while Barcelona have enjoyed a perfect start to the campaign.
Rodri joined Barcelona this summer in a £65m move from Manchester City after helping Spain win the 2026 World Cup, where he was named the tournament’s Golden Ball winner.
