Rodri’s Barcelona Debut Delayed Ahead of La Liga Opener

Rodri’s Barcelona debut is set to be put on ice.

The club’s standout summer signing skipped full group training on Saturday, the final session before Sunday’s La Liga opener against Elche, leaving his chances of featuring in the first game of the season hanging by a thread.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the midfielder did not join his teammates on the pitch during the 15 minutes of training open to the media, instead working separately once again. With that, any appearance in the season curtain-raiser now looks “highly complicated”.

The pattern has been clear. He trained alone on Friday. He repeated the same routine on Saturday. No integration with the main group, no signs of a late push.

Barring a late twist, Marca expects Barcelona to delay Rodri’s debut by a few more days, preferring caution at the very start of a long campaign.

It caps a whirlwind first week in Catalonia. Rodri arrived on Monday, was unveiled as a new Barcelona player on Tuesday, instantly tagged as the club’s most notable summer addition — and now faces an early test of patience before he can step into the spotlight.