Barcelona player Rodri has said sorry to Valencia captain Jose Gaya and the whole team after cameras caught him calling the struggling La Liga side "very weak".
On Thursday, BBC Sport reported that the 30-year-old made the remark to his Barcelona teammates Pau Cubarsi and Raphinha while sitting on the bench. This happened after he was taken off during Barcelona's 5-0 win over Valencia on Sunday.
Though the footage had no sound, Movistar claimed they saw Rodri's lips say: "They’re really weak. They haven’t got past the halfway line."
This comment upset Valencia fans and some parts of the Spanish media. They accused Rodri of being disrespectful to the struggling team.
But Rodri explained that his words were just a surprise reaction and not meant to mock Valencia.
"I apologised to my friend and colleague Jose Gaya and to the entire squad as well," Rodri said after Barcelona's 5-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord on Wednesday.
"I also want to make it clear that it was simply an expression of surprise, anyone watching the video can see that."
He added, "At no point did I intend to mock anyone or take a difficult moment for a team out of context."
Rodri also spoke highly of Valencia and said he hopes to see them do better in the league.
"Quite the opposite, we all want Valencia to return to where it belongs in the league, it is one of the best clubs in the competition. I simply wanted to say that."
The midfielder pointed out that his comments were made during a private chat and said this incident shows how words can be misunderstood.
"I would also add that it was a private conversation; I think we should all learn a bit more from this, as things really do get taken out of context sometimes," Rodri said.
"But at no point did I mean any disrespect. My apologies to Valencia."
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