From our other sites
The story
Lip-readers have revealed that Rodri, making his first start since joining Barcelona, insulted Valencia’s players during a bench conversation with Cubarsí after being subbed off in the 5-0 win on the 6th, saying things like ‘these guys are really weak.’ According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Rodri personally apologized to Valencia captain Gayà. On 5ch, many posters sympathized with Rodri being forced to apologize over a private bench chat caught by lip-readers, while others pointed out that the lower and mid-table level of La Liga really has declined. Some also argued that, going by the footage, it looked less like trash talk and more like an honest, off-the-cuff reaction.
Spanish outlet Marca’s digital edition reported on the 9th that Barcelona and Spain midfielder Rodri (30) apologized to the opposing captain over insulting remarks made during the 5-0 rout of Valencia on the 6th.
In the Valencia match, which marked Rodri’s first start since joining Barcelona, cameras caught him talking with Cubarsí on the bench after being substituted in the second half. Lip-readers analyzing the footage revealed that Rodri had made insulting comments about the Valencia players, including lines like ‘These guys are really weak, aren’t they super weak?’ and ‘This is really bad.’
In another moment, he reportedly asked Cubarsí about Valencia’s finish the previous season and looked shocked to learn they’d ended up close to a European qualifying spot. At one point Rodri seemed to notice the camera was on him and covered his mouth with a towel — but by then it was apparently too late.
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
He hasn't been doing anything on the pitch, so he's finally been demoted to the bench.
Feel free to call him out, no need to hold back lol
Don't go picking up audio like that.
He's desperate because this could seriously hurt his post-retirement career.
But it might already be too late.
Maybe he'll have to give up on Spain and go work the circuit abroad instead.
No wonder Rodri was shocked and exasperated.
He got into it with Bernardo Silva at the World Cup too, needling him about something.
He was just chatting with a teammate on the bench (lol)
That one's weird though.
They were still teammates at City at the time — did he really not recognize it was Bernardo?
They're genuinely weak.
Are they planning to unveil their new stadium down in the second division or something?
He should've just ignored it.
La Liga's in decline.
Guess that worked out easy for him.
It's not like he said it to their faces.
Can't even crack a joke on the bench anymore.
Brings back memories… everything about this is nostalgic.
After this, things fell apart once Koeman became manager — didn't Cañizares get hurt after dropping a bottle of aftershave on his foot, and the veterans clashed with Koeman?
He'll get targeted by rival supporters now.
If he ever transfers to some scrub club, he'll get absolutely torn apart.
Even at the school-club level people talk like this.
Would 'these guys don't seem to be having a good day' have been fine?
Top 15 defensive midfielders of the 21st century
So does that put Keane and Vieira in the 20th century…
But stuff like this gets said somewhere every single time. Feels like it's got nothing to do with respect, honestly.
Spanish media often use lip-reading to hunt for controversy (mainly targeting racist remarks or players criticizing their own teammates/manager), and this time he got caught by that.
Saying stuff like this behind the scenes is common enough, but once it goes public the media pile on and torch you for it.
Rodri probably just wasn't aware that's a thing over there.
Background and talking points
Spanish media have a practice of lip-reading players’ bench comments and reporting them, a technique usually aimed at catching racist remarks or players criticizing their own teammates and manager (see comment 76). In this case, Rodri ended up insulting an opposing player instead, making it a rare instance of that practice extending beyond its usual target. The fact that Rodri himself noticed the camera and covered his mouth with a towel suggests players are at least somewhat aware of this lip-reading risk. In the thread, some posters point to Rodri’s past clash with Bernardo Silva at the 2022 World Cup (comment 11) as evidence of a ‘trash-talking habit,’ while others argue that, judging from the footage alone, it read less like an insult and more like a genuine, surprised reaction (comment 48) — opinion is split. The broader point about the declining level of La Liga’s mid-to-lower table teams is also one that’s been raised before, particularly since Takefusa Kubo’s transfer there (comment 50), and Rodri’s remark can be read as simply voicing a feeling many already shared. Valencia’s current slump also stands out all the more given that they were a genuine title-winning powerhouse in the early 2000s, which helped fuel the discussion.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Sports Express+) thread ‘[Soccer] Rodri personally apologizes to captain Gayà over insulting Valencia with ‘these guys are really weak’.’
Leave a Reply