In a surprising turn of events, Mallorca, the La Liga club, has suspended their midfielder Dani Rodriguez. The club has also stripped the Spanish footballer of his captaincy duties.
The Mallorca midfielder had earlier complained about the club benching him in a clash against the Los Blancos aka Real Madrid. The 37-year-old had been a part of the club since 2018 and he was not brought on the field during the club’s 2-1 defeat against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mallorca Leaves Rodriguez Fuming
“RCD Mallorca announces that Dani Rodríguez has been suspended from employment and salary. The club has also stripped him of his captaincy with immediate effect,” said the club in a statement. According to the Spanish midfielder, he should have been brought ahead of the club’s new signing, 19-year-old Jan Virgili.
The youngster recently completed his transfer from FC Barcelona to RCD Mallorca. Since there aren’t any confirmations about Virgili’s salary, it has been reported that Mallorca has paid a fee of €3.5 million for 50% of the player’s rights.
“It hurts that a player who just got here, with one training session, has the chance to play ahead of team-mates who have been here for years defending this shirt with sweat and labour, putting the club above everything,” said Rodriguez. The Spanish midfielder also said that the way Mallorca treated him sends a horrible message to the other players that work, delivery and loyalty don’t matter.
It is also being reported that the suspension is set to be for ten days. Rodriguez spoke about the coach’s decision of not substituting him and said that he felt that there was a lack of respect shown towards his commitment and dedication towards the club.
Dissecting Dani Rodríguez’s Numbers With Mallorca
The Spanish midfielder has represented the club in 277 matches. Rodriguez has been Mallorca’s main man for many seasons and he was also a key player in two promotion campaigns for the club.