Dani Rodríguez breaks silence on Mallorca exit: 'They treated me like I'd murdered someone'
The former Mallorca captain opens up about his controversial departure after his social media outburst led to being frozen out despite seven years of service.
Former Mallorca midfielder Dani Rodríguez has finally spoken out about his controversial exit from the club, claiming he was treated as if he’d “murdered someone” following a social media outburst that effectively ended his seven-and-a-half-year stint with the Balearic outfit.
The incident that sparked it all
Rodríguez, now at Leganés, was interviewed on ‘El Partidazo de Cope’ where he gave his side of the story that saw him:
- Suspended for 10 days without pay
- Stripped of the captain’s armband
- Completely frozen out of the team for four months
- Eventually having his contract terminated
The drama began when the Galician midfielder criticised manager Jagoba Arrasate on social media for not selecting him against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, particularly taking issue with newcomer Virgili being picked ahead of him.
”Not just about playing time”
“I couldn’t speak before, so I’m grateful to clarify something I couldn’t address for four months,” Rodríguez explained. “This isn’t about not playing – it goes much deeper. If you think about it, after seven and a half seasons, to spend four months without playing a single match wasn’t just because of a tantrum about the Bernabéu.”
The midfielder admits he made a mistake with his post but feels the punishment was completely disproportionate to the crime.
“I posted a tweet in the heat of the moment, but I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t bet, I didn’t dope, I didn’t insult anyone… yet it seemed like I’d murdered someone,” he said.
Family impact forced his hand
Despite apologising to both his teammates and Arrasate ten days after the incident, the manager refused to change his stance. The situation eventually became untenable when it began affecting his family.
“My middle son told me he didn’t want to stay in Mallorca anymore because he couldn’t understand why I wasn’t playing. That was the turning point when I decided I couldn’t continue and needed to find a new team,” Rodríguez revealed.
He also mentioned feeling abandoned by the club during the Supercopa incident in Jeddah, when players’ families were reportedly subjected to abuse in the stands with no condemnation from club officials.
After terminating his contract with Mallorca, Rodríguez signed for Leganés in the January transfer window, bringing to an end what had been a proper dog’s dinner of a situation at his former club.