Rodri Praises Raphinha's Outstanding Performance in Barcelona's Sevilla Victory

Barcelona’s start to the season stays flawless, and Rodri is enjoying every second of it.

Hansi Flick’s side had to come from behind on Saturday, overturning Sevilla’s opener to claim a 3-1 victory powered by a ruthless Raphinha hat-trick. The scoreline kept Barça’s perfect record intact and sent the squad into the international break riding a wave of confidence.

Sevilla struck first, jolting the home side and briefly quietening the mood. The response was sharp. Raphinha dragged Barcelona back into the game, then tore it away from Sevilla entirely, his treble underlining his growing importance in Flick’s attacking structure.

Rodri, speaking after the match, had no doubt who the headline act was.

“For me, today Rapha was outstanding, Lamine was also very good, and Adeyemi, I really liked how he came on in the second half,” the midfielder said, picking out the three team-mates he felt tilted the contest.

The Spain international’s words carried the assurance of a player who believes this early-season surge is no accident.

“We’re not going to lose our rhythm, we’re going to keep competing. We need to keep in mind that these are important matches and come back in the best possible shape,” he insisted, already looking beyond the glow of another win.

There was also a nod to the squad’s depth. Andreas Christensen’s injury forced Flick into a defensive reshuffle, with Gerard Martín stepping in and, in Rodri’s eyes, passing a serious examination.

“Gerard Martín has been sensational. Such a shame about Christensen’s injury,” he said, combining praise with concern in a single breath.

If Rodri was busy applauding others, his coach made sure his own influence did not go unnoticed. Flick highlighted the midfielder’s command at the heart of the team.

“Rodri is a great player, both with and without the ball. He controls everything and gives us composure in our positional play. I think he connects well with Pedri and the center-backs. Overall, I think we can be happy with what we did,” the Barcelona boss said, underlining how central Rodri has become to the side’s rhythm and structure.

Barcelona now pause after a blistering opening to the campaign. The next test comes on October 10, when they face Getafe — and the question is no longer whether they can find their stride, but how long they can keep this relentless tempo going.