Rodri publicly apologizes after Barcelona vs Feyenoord incident caught on camera
Barcelona midfielder Rodri has come forward with a heartfelt apology after his team’s big 5-1 Champions League win against Feyenoord, following some strong criticism he made about Valencia.
Barcelona crushed Valencia 5-0 in their La Liga match on Sunday, with Raphinha scoring twice at Estadi de Mestalla. But right after the game, Rodri was caught on camera talking with teammate Pau Cubarsi, where he said: “They’re really weak. Really weak, man.” This didn’t sit well with Valencia fans.
Even though Valencia aren’t as strong as they were in the past, especially under Unai Emery, they still finished in the top half of La Liga last season and even beat Barcelona 3-1 in their last game. However, this season has been tough for them—they are currently at the bottom of the league, with three losses and one draw in their first four matches.
Rodri’s comments upset many Valencia supporters. Reports say that he personally called Valencia’s captain, Jose Gaya, to apologize. Now, after the win against Feyenoord, Rodri has publicly admitted he made a mistake and expressed his regret.
“I want to say sorry to the fans and players of Valencia,” Rodri said in an interview (via Fabrizio Romano). “I also spoke with Valencia’s captain, Gaya. When someone makes a mistake, they should apologize. I hope Valencia bounces back soon.”
Aside from this, Rodri is also in a great place career-wise—he’s among three Barcelona players nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or award for 2026, along with Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal. Ferran Torres, who played last season with Barcelona before moving to PSG, is also nominated. On the women’s side, six Barca players made the shortlist, including Esmee Brugts and Cata Coll.
Barcelona has had a strong streak of winning Ballon d’Or awards since 2019, but this year might be different. Alexia Putellas, the favorite for the women’s award, moved to London City Lionesses this summer, and Harry Kane of Bayern Munich is currently the front-runner for the men’s prize, ahead of Yamal.
Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and was named the best player at this year’s World Cup, which boosted his chances. However, he only played 30 games last season due to injuries, which might affect the voters’ decisions.
Check out the full list of Ballon d’Or 2026 nominees—some big surprises this year!