Rodri finally has minutes in a Barcelona shirt. Nine days after being presented at the Spotify Camp Nou, the 30-year-old came off the bench in the 62nd minute of the Blaugrana’s 2-0 win over Athletic Club on Thursday night — and the whole stadium stood up for him.
Hansi Flick sent him on for Marc Bernal with Barça 1-0 up through Raphinha’s first-half opener, and the reception told you everything about how the Camp Nou feels about a 2024 Ballon d’Or winner who chose Barcelona over Real Madrid. Per Mundo Deportivo, he had already drawn one ovation simply for getting up to warm up at the start of the second half.
‘This is where I wanted to be’
Rodri’s own verdict was measured, the way it usually is with him. “Very happy to make my debut. Happy with the win. Two for two,” he told DAZN. “It’s important to get into a rhythm and adapt to this great team. First few minutes and good feelings.”
The context matters. Spain’s World Cup summer ran long, and Rodri has barely trained with his new teammates. “It’s been a long summer, longer than usual. I need to get back into the swing of things quickly,” he said. “I’ve had very few training sessions. These minutes were very important for building rhythm. This is where I wanted to be, and I’m happy with how things have turned out. Now it’s time to get to work.”
He also set the bar for the group, and it was high. “The best players in the world are here and you have to be at that level,” he said. “This team has significant room for improvement and we’re going to go after it.”
The message to Lamine Yamal
The most revealing part of the night was not about Rodri at all. Asked about Lamine Yamal — who had a difficult few days after being substituted at Elche, and who was twice denied here by an outstanding Unai Simón — the midfielder answered like a senior player who has already taken the dressing room’s temperature.
“Lamine has been impressive. We’ve tried to lift him and you saw his best version, even though he couldn’t score,” Rodri said. “The goals will come because the talent is there. We need that from him — that work ethic and consistency.”
Both Flick and Joan Laporta pointed to leadership as a reason for signing him. One appearance into his Barça career, he is already doing that job.
A false nine, two goals and a woodwork count
The win itself was more comfortable than 2-0 suggests. Flick again used Raphinha as a false nine with Anthony Gordon making his first start on the left, and the club captain rounded Simón to score from a Pedri pass before the break. Fermín López, who took over the central role late on, added the second in the closing stages.
It should have been far more. Yamal was denied twice by Simón and struck the crossbar, Pedri had a goal ruled out for a narrow offside in the build-up, and Raphinha hit the post with a header. Mundo Deportivo counted two efforts against the woodwork and a goalkeeping display that alone kept the scoreline respectable; Joan García, at the other end, did not have to make a save.
Barça are two from two and back at the top of La Liga after thumping Elche 5-0 away last weekend. Rodri’s introduction for Bernal is also a signpost for the season: the pair are expected to alternate in the deeper midfield role, with Pedri or Dani Olmo ahead of them, while Frenkie de Jong remains a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
Next up is Rayo Vallecano on Monday night, and a striker search that is still unresolved — but on this evidence Flick is not short of goalscorers, only of a No 9. Rodri, at least, is now up and running.
Source: Barca Blaugranes
