New signing Rodri made his debut for his club Barcelona in the match against Athletic Bilbao, which ended in a 2-0 win for Barca at the Spotify Camp Nou on Thursday evening.
Introduced in the 62nd minute for Marc Bernal, Rodri clocked up his first minutes as a Barcelona player, having sat out the opening La Liga clash against Elche.
According to Sport newspaper, the Camp Nou faithful greeted Rodri with warm, thunderous applause.
He wasted no time showing one of his standout qualities. The midfielder made himself available almost constantly, offering his team-mates a passing option whenever Barca needed to break Bilbao’s press.
That presence let Barca slow the tempo and settle into the game. He impressed in the air too, winning several one-on-one duels.
Rodri spoke to DAZN after the final whistle, beaming about his first outing in a Barcelona shirt.
The midfielder said: “Happy to play my first match. Happy with the win, we have taken two wins from two matches. It is important for me to regain my rhythm and adapt to this great team. I have good feelings.”
He stressed: “It has been a long summer, and I have to regain my rhythm quickly. I am very happy with the way things went, and I am where I wanted to be. Now we have to work.”
Praise also flowed for Lamine Yamal, one of the standout stars of the night against Athletic Bilbao.
The teenage winger had been through a tougher spell, Rodri explained, and his team-mates had rallied round him: “It is something amazing. He was going through a period in which he was more sad, and we tried to lift his spirits, and we saw the best version of Lamine.”
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