Испанийн шигшээ багийн ахлагч Родри Атлетик Клубын эсрэг тоглолтод сэлгээгээр талбайд гарч, Барселона дахь анхны тоглолтоо хийлээ.
Ханси Фликийн удирдлага дор Барселона Атлетик Клубыг 2-0-ийн харьцаатай хожсон тоглолтын 63 дахь минутад Родри Марк Берналыг сэлгэн талбайд гарснаар Барселона дахь дебютээ хийв. Тэрээр тоглолтын үлдсэн хугацаанд 29 удаа бөмбөгөнд хүрч, 26 дамжуулалт өгснөөс 23 нь амжилттай болсон юм. Камп Ноу цэнгэлдэхийн хөгжөөн дэмжигчид түүнийг халуун дотноор хүлээн авч, сэлгээний бүсэд халаалт хийж эхлэх үеэс л нэрийг нь дуудан алга ташилт болон дуугаар угтсан байна.
Энэ зун 76.5 сая еврогийн үнээр Барселонад ирсэн Родриг элсүүлсэн нь каталоничуудын хувьд зөвхөн талбай дээрх амжилт төдийгүй Реал Мадридтай хийсэн наймааны томоохон ялалт болжээ. Реал Мадридын төвийн шугамын гол тоглогчид болох Тони Кроос, Лука Модрич нарын үе өндөрлөж буй энэ үед Испанийн шигшээ багийн ахлагчийг эгнээндээ нэгтгэсэн нь ерөнхийлөгч Жоан Лапортагийн хувьд стратегийн чухал алхам болсон юм.
Тоглолтын дараа Родри өөрийн хүссэн газартаа ирсэндээ баяртай байгаагаа илэрхийлж, зуны турш үргэлжилсэн урт наймааны үйл явц амжилттай дууссанд сэтгэл хангалуун байгаагаа мэдэгдэв. Дасгалжуулагч Ханси Флик түүнийг багийн тоглолтын философид төгс нийцэх тоглогч хэмээн онцолсон бөгөөд ирэх тоглолтуудад түүний биеийн бэлтгэл бүрэн хангагдаж, илүү үр дүнтэй тоглохыг хүлээж байна.
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“Everyone is so happy that he plays for us; he is the perfect player for Barca, for our philosophy and how we want to play football.”
Those were the words of Barcelona manager Hansi Flick just after Rodri made his debut with the club as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 win over Athletic Club. It was hardly a performance to be remembered for years: Rodri came on in the 63rd minute, by which stage Barca were well in control. He had 29 touches and completed 23 of his 26 attempted passes.
He was welcomed with a standing ovation as he replaced Marc Bernal in midfield, then received another round of applause seconds later when he completed his first pass. The chanting of Rodri’s name had begun as soon as he started warming up on the sidelines early in the second half. The Camp Nou crowd even replicated the “Rodri’s on fire” chant that Manchester City fans created for the holding midfielder.
The buzz around Rodri is special, even by Barca standards.
That level of anticipation has been understandable when a club has signed the summer’s World Cup MVP and a former Ballon d’Or winner. At 30, he is still the best in the world at his position, a talent that instantly elevates the ceiling and the floor of his team. There arguably isn’t another currently active footballer as dominant and influential as Rodri, and adding that to a midfield already stacked with talent is the highest blessing for Flick.
But Rodri is far from the archetype of a marketable player.
He is not a loud personality; he has generally avoided social media and has rarely shown any intention to exploit the commercial side of the game. Rodri has never aspired to be the player who sells millions of shirts; he’s only focused on making his teams better. The rest does not seem that important to him.
(Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
This summer, all this has changed. His profile, at least in Barcelona, has skyrocketed for one specific reason: the Catalans beat Real Madrid to his signing. The decision to choose Barca over their biggest rivals has turned Rodri, instantly, into an unquestioned Camp Nou favourite and has provided a boost in morale around the club.
A clear sign of the ‘mania’ he has produced came against Athletic, when Barcelona fans even cheered a simple clearance from Rodri in his own box.
Rodri landed in Catalonia on August 18 to finalise his move to the club. Soon after setting foot in the city, he was taken to lunch at the renowned city centre restaurant Botafumeiro by the club’s board. It is a venue often visited by high-profile personalities visiting the city, so it gets plenty of media attention. But the sheer number of onlookers and photographers that gathered at the door upon Rodri’s visit forced the restaurant to install fences by its entrance and deploy private security.
After the meal, Rodri walked out of the restaurant to be greeted by cheers and requests for autographs. Behind him, Barcelona president Joan Laporta looked out to the fans and fist-pumped the air, celebrating his conquest.
That is an interesting element too. Deco has been fundamental in Rodri’s recruitment, and Flick can’t be happier about his addition — but Laporta’s profile has also benefited massively from the deal.
(Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The president has managed to convince a Madrid native, the Spain captain and a player Real Madrid desperately needed after the departures of legends such as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric from their midfield in recent seasons, to turn down Los Blancos.
Laporta not only won a battle against Florentino Perez, but he has also made Madrid watch as a national hero signed for him with a smile on his face.
“I am very happy to have played my first game for the club and for how things have gone so far,” Rodri said to broadcasters DAZN after the win against Athletic.
“I am where I want to be. It has been a long summer — probably longer than what’s normal — but I am so happy with how it’s unfolded, and now it’s time for me to work,” he added.
The season is just getting started; Rodri needs to keep building to full fitness and will be expected to make a far more significant contribution than he did here, having joined Barca for a fee that could rise to €76.5m.
The reception Rodri will get when he steps into the Bernabeu later this season may not be quite so pleasant, but after this summer he is certain to continue being hero-worshipped at Camp Nou.
