Rodri made his Barcelona debut in a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, earning immediate praise from head coach Hansi Flick after the club’s record summer signing came off the bench at Camp Nou.
The 2026 World Cup’s best player joined Barcelona from Manchester City for €60 million in the summer. Flick believes the Spain midfielder fits perfectly into his team’s philosophy.
“Everyone is happy that he is playing for us, playing for Barcelona,” Flick said. “He is the perfect player for us, for our philosophy and for the type of football we want to play.”
Rodri entered in the 63rd minute as a replacement for Raphinha. The home supporters greeted him with loud applause as he stepped onto the pitch for his first appearance in Barcelona colours.
The midfielder missed Sunday’s 5-0 victory over Elche as he continued his recovery and worked to regain his match rhythm. He returned to training on Monday before starting on the bench against Athletic.
Rodri was pleased with his first outing.
“I am happy to have played my first match for Barcelona,” he said. “I am also happy with the team’s victory. It is our second straight win. The match was important for getting my rhythm back, and I felt good during the first minutes.”
Raphinha opened the scoring for Barcelona before Fermin Lopez added the second goal to secure another comfortable victory.
