Rodri, Barcelona's Spanish World Cup-winning midfielder, was caught on camera bluntly telling teammate Pau Cubarsí that Valencia were "very weak" and "very bad" after being substituted during Barcelona's 5-0 win at Mestalla on 6 September. The off-the-cuff remark, filmed by a Spanish TV programme, went viral and crystallised growing anger among Valencia supporters at the club's dismal form, contributing to the swift departures of manager Carlos Corberán and the club's chief executive within days.

Valencia's crisis extends well beyond one bad result: after four league games they had scored only once and conceded nine, sitting bottom of La Liga with a single point, and they have since lost 1-0 to Sevilla in the "Used To Be Big Derby". The visit coincided with owner Kiat Lim's son making his first appearance at a competitive Valencia match in 18 months, during which fans staged a protest, delaying their entry to the ground and chanting for the ownership to leave. Although Rodri apologised to Valencia captain José Luis Gayà and publicly after Barcelona's Champions League win over Feyenoord, Corberán said the words, while true, had "not been born of respect" — and fans nonetheless printed T-shirts reading "They're very bad. We're all Rodri."