Kiat Lim boarded a flight to Valencia on September 6, marking the first time in 18 months that the president’s 33‑year‑old son would attend a competitive match in person. Disguised in a black mask and cap, he rode a van to the hotel, then the team bus to Mestalla, only to find the iron gate’s grand badge offering no warm welcome.
Inside, massive portraits of legends—Mario Kempes, Antonio Puchades, Juan Sol, Gaizka Mendieta, David Villa and Santiago Cañizares—loomed over yellow banners cheering today’s squad. The south stand stayed empty until the 19th minute, while chants of protest drifted from the streets. Lim watched Lamine Yamal net a sixth‑minute opener, add a second that was later ruled out, and then watch Barcelona pile on four more goals for a 5‑0 rout.
Supporters filtered out early; those who remained turned their chants toward Lim, demanding his family’s departure. Handkerchiefs fluttered as Valencia’s players trudged into the tunnel, heads down. The manager claimed his side was hurt but not defeated, oblivious to the bench verdict that would soon surface.
Rodri, withdrawn after an hour and greeted with a standing ovation, lifted a towel and faced Pau Cubarsí. “This lot are very weak, eh?” the Spanish captain snarled. “Very weak, mate. Very bad.” He asked where Valencia finished last season, made a face that screamed ‘seriously?!’, and noted they never left their own half. Valencia, he declared, were malísimo. Awful. The bench erupted in stunned silence.
El Día Después captured the tirade, and the clip spread like wildfire. Rodri later called captain José Luis Gayà to apologise, then issued a public statement after Barcelona’s Champions League win over Feyenoord. Coach Carlos Corberán called the outburst a self‑preservation move, accepting the apology but insisting the words lacked respect. In my view, Rodri’s apology felt more like damage control than genuine remorse. Yet his blunt assessment rang true, leaving no room for mockery.
Corberán noted that even Mestalla’s crowd applauded Rodri, a fact that only inflamed the backlash. Fans quickly printed T‑shirts reading “They’re very bad” with “We’re all Rodri” underneath, just as the coach’s tenure was ending. Shoot the messenger, not the manager. Will Valencia ever rebuild enough to compete again?