Barcelona midfielder Rodri has apologised to Valencia captain Jose Gaya and the entire Valencia squad after television cameras appeared to catch him describing the struggling La Liga side as “very weak” on Sunday.
The footage, which has no audio, showed Rodri speaking to Barcelona teammates Pau Cubarsi and Raphinha while sitting on the bench after being substituted. Spanish broadcaster Movistar claimed to have lip-read the 30-year-old saying:
“They’re really weak. They haven’t got past the halfway line.”
The footage spread quickly, drawing criticism from fans and sections of the Spanish media. All of whom accused the Spanish midfielder of disrespecting a club already in serious difficulty. Valencia sit bottom of La Liga with no wins from their first four matches.
Rodri addressed the situation on Wednesday after Barcelona’s 5-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord, offering a direct apology while pushing back on the framing.
“I apologised to my friend and colleague Jose Gaya and to the entire squad as well,” he said.
“I also want to make it clear that it was simply an expression of surprise — anyone watching the video can see that. At no point did I intend to mock anyone or take a difficult moment for a team out of context.”
He added that Valencia is “one of the best clubs in the competition” and that he wanted to see them return to where they belong in the league. He also took a broader swipe at how the clip circulated.
“It was a private conversation. I think we should all learn a bit more from this, as things really do get taken out of context sometimes.”
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