Rodri Questions La Liga Level After Being Substituted, Criticizes Valencia's Performance Caught by Broadcasters

According to the Movistar Plus program El Día Después, during the match against Valencia, Rodri sat next to Cubarsí after being substituted and then repeatedly commented on Valencia's level of play. Footage showed that he first directly said the opponent was too weak, then repeatedly stressed that the team was really poor. More interestingly, Rodri only noticed the nearby camera while he was speaking, so he immediately covered his mouth with a towel, but that did not stop the conversation. He continued talking with Cubarsí and also asked about Valencia's league position last season. Cubarsí told him that the opponent had actually not been far away from the European qualification places last season, and the answer clearly surprised Rodri.

What truly surprised Rodri was the contrast between the match situation and Valencia's league position last season. He later mentioned that Valencia even struggled to move the ball beyond the halfway line in the second half. Looking only at this statement, it is not difficult to understand his emotions. For players who regularly compete in high-intensity environments, the most direct judgment during a match often does not come from reputation, but from whether an opponent can keep applying pressure and push their formation forward. Rodri clearly felt that Valencia did not create enough pressure in this match, which led him to repeatedly describe them as too weak and poor. However, saying such things privately to teammates is one matter, while having those comments fully captured by television cameras is another, especially when the opponent is a traditional La Liga club like Valencia.

The more awkward aspect was that Mestalla had previously shown Rodri plenty of respect. When Rodri was substituted in the second half, the home fans specifically applauded him, recognizing his contribution as national team captain in leading the team to win the World Cup. Yet not long afterward, he was on the bench repeatedly saying that the home team's level was too weak, and that contrast could easily make Valencia supporters uncomfortable. From Rodri's personal perspective, he may have simply been casually chatting with a teammate before the end of the match and had no intention of making a public statement, but modern football broadcasts rarely miss any details, especially around the substitutes' bench where cameras often remain focused.

Of course, directly interpreting this incident as Rodri believing the overall level of La Liga is too low may be an overstatement. What the available footage confirms is that he was very dissatisfied with Valencia's performance in that particular match and was surprised that the team had been close to the European qualification places last season. The real issue is the public impact: he was talking about a La Liga club with history and a strong fan base, one that had just given him applause from its home supporters. In competitive sports, it is not unusual for players to feel an opponent is weak, but once such comments become public, the situation is completely different.