Rodri Set to Miss Barcelona Opener After Training Setback

Barcelona’s biggest summer signing is unlikely to feature on opening night.

Rodri sat out full group training on Saturday, the final session before Sunday’s La Liga curtain-raiser against Elche, casting serious doubt over his chances of making his debut in the first game of the season.

Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the midfielder worked away from the main squad and stayed off the pitch during the 15 minutes of training open to the media. For a player expected to step straight into the side, that absence spoke loudly. An appearance in the season opener now looks “highly complicated,” the paper said.

The pattern has been the same for two straight days. Rodri trained alone on Friday, then followed the same individual routine on Saturday instead of joining his new teammates for full work with the ball.

Unless there is a late twist, his first minutes in a Barcelona shirt will have to wait. Marca suggests his debut is set to be pushed back a few more days, a frustrating prospect for a club that has billed him as the standout arrival of the summer.

It caps a whirlwind week for the midfielder. He landed in Barcelona on Monday, was presented as a new Catalan player on Tuesday, and immediately became a central figure in the club’s pre-season narrative.

Now the spotlight turns to the medical staff and the calendar. Barcelona can afford to be cautious in August — but how long can they wait before their headline signing finally steps onto the pitch?