On Saturday evening, following the defeat against Real Madrid, Rodriguez —who sat on the bench for the entire match at the Bernabeu—posted several photos and videos of his family in the stands on Instagram, accompanied by a message in which he spoke of a lack of "meritocracy" and "respect for work ," lamenting the fact that his children had left hoping to see him play.
But it doesn't end there.
Instead of apologising, the player doubled down hours later, lashing out at coach Jagoba Arrasate and the midfielder who played in his place, the young 2006-born Jan Virgili. The now former captain lamented the message this decision could send to the dressing room: "It doesn't matter what your hard work, dedication, or loyalty is."
The club's response was swift and harsh: sporting director Pablo Ortells defended the coach's authority and emphasised that "Mallorca comes first."
Consequently, the decision was made to suspend the player and strip him of the captain's armband. The team trained this morning and, as expected, Rodriguez was not with the group.