Valencia coach Carlos Corberán has criticised Rodri after the Barcelona midfielder was filmed making disparaging comments about Valencia players during a 5-0 defeat.

Valencia boss slams Rodri after controversial comments about his players

Valencia coach Carlos Corberán has criticised Rodri after the Barcelona midfielder was caught making disparaging comments about Valencia players during their 5-0 defeat.

Rodri was filmed speaking from the Barcelona bench during the victory at Mestalla. His comments quickly spread across Spanish media before he later apologised.

What did Rodri say about Valencia?

Television cameras captured a conversation involving Rodri, Pau Cubarsí and Eric García on the Barcelona bench.

During the exchange, Rodri was heard saying:

“They are very weak. They are very bad. Terrible.”

He also appeared surprised by Valencia’s performance and asked where the club had finished the previous season.

Corberán says Rodri showed a lack of respect

Corberán admitted that Valencia had performed below expectations, but said that did not justify speaking about fellow professionals in such dismissive terms.

The Valencia coach described Rodri’s comments as unfortunate and said they failed to show the respect players deserve.

He also pointed out that Rodri had been warmly applauded by sections of the Mestalla crowd when he left the pitch.

For Corberán, that made the comments even more disappointing because Valencia supporters had still treated him respectfully during a painful defeat.

Corberán points to controversial penalty incident

Corberán also challenged Rodri’s assessment by referring to an incident involving Arnaut Danjuma.

He suggested the challenge could potentially have resulted in a penalty and a red card for Rodri.

His point was that the match might have looked different if that decision had gone Valencia’s way.

Valencia admit Barcelona deserved to win

The Valencia coach did not deny that his team had played poorly.

He accepted that Barcelona dominated the match and fully deserved the 5-0 victory.

However, Corberán insisted there was a clear difference between criticising a bad performance and publicly disrespecting players as professionals.

Rodri apologised to Valencia

Rodri acted quickly after the footage began circulating.

The Barcelona midfielder contacted Valencia captain José Luis Gayà and apologised for his comments.

He later apologised publicly to Valencia supporters, the players and anyone who had been offended.

Rodri explained that the conversation had been private and was not intended as a public attack on Valencia. He also said he respected the club and hoped they would return to the position their history deserves.

Valencia accept Rodri’s apology

Despite his criticism, Corberán confirmed that Valencia had accepted Rodri’s apology.

The coach said apologising was the correct response and made clear that the club did not want to prolong the dispute.

Valencia are currently enduring a difficult period, making the comments particularly sensitive after a heavy home defeat.

A private comment becomes a public controversy

The incident also highlighted how easily conversations on the bench can become public through broadcast cameras and microphones.

Rodri may not have expected his words to leave the Barcelona bench, but the reaction was immediate once the footage emerged.

Some Valencia fans admitted that the team had played badly, but still considered Rodri’s remarks disrespectful. The debate therefore focused less on whether his assessment was accurate and more on whether he should have expressed it in that way.

Corberán wants to move forward

Corberán’s response was firm but controlled. He defended his players, criticised Rodri’s lack of respect and acknowledged the apology.

His message was simple: Rodri was wrong, he apologised, and Valencia now want to move forward.

Even so, the words “They are very weak. They are very bad. Terrible” are likely to be remembered the next time Valencia face Barcelona.

Rodri has apologised, and Valencia have accepted it. But the controversy means Barcelona’s 5-0 victory will be remembered for more than the scoreline alone.