Rodri apologises to Gayà over "son malísimos" Valencia remarks at Mestalla

Rodri Hernández has stepped forward to put out the fire sparked by his comments about Valencia during the Copa del Rey tie at Mestalla. The Barcelona midfielder phoned José Luis Gayà, Valencia's captain, to apologise for remarks caught on camera while he was chatting with Pau Cubarsí on the bench, which quickly went viral. The call served to explain the context of that conversation and to tell the Valencia dressing room there was no intention to cause offence.

• Rodri contacted Gayà personally to explain what happened and say sorry.
• The Barcelona player insisted it was a private, relaxed conversation with Cubarsí, with no intention of offending anyone.
• He asked Valencia's captain to pass his message on to the rest of the squad.
• Gayà accepted the apology but told Rodri he had made a mistake.
• The clip topped one million views before Movistar+ removed it.

Rodri's phone call to Gayà to apologise

The story, first reported by El Partit de la 1 on À Punt, confirms that the Spain international reached out directly to the Valencia full-back after the images came to light. He did not let the issue sit or wait for the social media noise to grow: he picked up the phone and spoke to the Valencia captain to give his side of the story.

Rodri explained that the exchange with Cubarsí took place in a private, relaxed moment during the match, after he had been substituted in the second half of the 0-5 defeat at Mestalla. He stressed that he never intended to belittle Valencia's players or publicly question their competitive level.

What Rodri said about Valencia during the Copa del Rey tie

In the footage broadcast by El Día Después on Movistar+, the Barcelona midfielder can be seen talking to Pau Cubarsí on the bench. Lip reading revealed phrases such as "Muy flojos, son muy flojos estos, ¿eh? Muy flojos, tío" and, moments later, a harsher follow-up: "Son muy malos, tío, son malísimos".

The conversation went beyond that first assessment. Rodri asked his teammate how Valencia had finished the previous season and seemed surprised to learn the team had ended up close to the European places. At one point he covered his mouth with a towel around his neck, but by then the microphone and camera had already captured what mattered.

Gayà's response and Valencia's internal reaction

José Luis Gayà listened to Rodri's explanations and accepted his apology, but did not brush the matter aside. The Valencia captain made it clear that the Barcelona player had got it wrong, a message the dressing room saw as an elegant but firm way to close the controversy.

The frustration at Mestalla was less about the words themselves and more about the reach they had. The clip shared by Movistar+ topped one million views on X before being taken down, which multiplied the impact of comments that originally belonged to a private conversation between two Barcelona players.

Why the controversy hit so hard with Rodri involved

The profile of the protagonist goes a long way to explaining the impact of the episode. Rodri is not just any footballer: he is captain of the Spanish national team, one of Barcelona's leaders and a voice that carries weight in Spanish football. His opinion about any rival lands differently, especially when it concerns a club with the history and fanbase of Valencia.

According to people close to the player, Rodri was affected by the public reading of words he never imagined would leave the internal setting of a match. That is why he moved quickly and called Gayà directly, before the media noise could grow any further.

What is at stake for Barcelona and Valencia in the Copa del Rey

The 0-5 scoreline at Mestalla all but decided the quarter-final tie. Barcelona delivered a statement win on Valencia's ground and put one foot in the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of another last-eight clash. For Valencia, the defeat hurt because of the margin and the sense of inferiority it reflected on the pitch.

The Rodri controversy added noise to a tie that was already settled in football terms. Valencia, in the middle of an uneven season, could do without further distractions. Barcelona, meanwhile, remain in the hunt for silverware on three fronts and see the Copa as a realistic shot at a trophy this campaign.