Barcelona waxed Feyenoord 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, but after the match, Rodri wanted to talk about Valencia.
The Spain midfielder issued a public apology to the La Liga strugglers after lipreaders caught him speaking disparagingly about the team during Barca’s 5-0 win over Los Ches this past Sunday.
Spanish network Movistar played a soundless clip of the former Manchester City star speaking on the bench to teammates Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi.
“They’re really weak,” Rodri appeared to say of Valencia. “They haven’t got past the halfway line.”
Valencia remains winless after four matches and sits dead last in the table.
Speaking with the Spanish television broadcast after Wednesday’s match, Rodri offered a mea culpa.
“First and foremost, I’d like to apologise to anyone who may have felt offended,” Rodri said. “I had a phone call with my friend [Valencia captain] Jose Gaya and apologized to him and the whole squad.”
The 30-year-old Madrid native insisted he was reacting in genuine surprise to what he was seeing on the pitch.
“I want to make it clear that it was an expression of surprise; anyone who watches the video can see that at no point did I intend to mock or take any team out of context,” Rodri continued. “Quite the opposite.”
The Villarreal academy product finished his remarks by hoping for a turnaround in Valencia’s play
“I hope Valencia return to their rightful place as one of the best clubs in this league,” he said. “It was a private conversation. We should all learn that sometimes things are taken out of context, but at no point did I intend to be disrespectful.”
In his first season at Camp Nou after a transfer worth over £65 million, Rodri has played for 116 minutes across three matches for Barca thus far. He is coming off of a World Cup triumph with La Roja in which he was named the Golden Ball winner.
Barca, atop the table with four wins from four matches, returns to action on Sunday with a visit to 11th-place Levante.
