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Gavi, the young Barcelona star, almost injured his Spanish national teammate Rodri during a training session with La Roja.

Barcelona’s wonderkid Gavi reportedly came close to sidelining his compatriot Rodri from the 2026 World Cup following a tense incident in Spain’s training camp.

The Spanish national team is currently in the final stages of preparation ahead of their last friendly match before competing in the 2026 World Cup.

After being held to a 1-1 draw by Iraq on Friday (June 5, 2026) early morning local time, Luis de la Fuente’s men are now set to face Peru in their next warm-up fixture.

The match is scheduled to take place at Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla City, Mexico, on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) at 09:00 WIB.

However, their preparations were briefly disrupted by a tense moment during a training session.

A video circulating widely on social media captured the moment when Gavi aggressively challenged Rodri for the ball.

The 21-year-old midfielder appeared to make a rough tackle and stepped on Rodri’s ankle, causing the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner to scream in pain before falling to the ground.

Although the Manchester City star was seen grimacing and rolling on the turf in discomfort, reports later confirmed that Rodri had not sustained any serious injury.

Even so, Gavi’s reckless move drew sharp criticism for being overly risky, especially with the World Cup just days away.

With less than a week left before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, Spanish football fans were understandably alarmed by the incident.

Gavi and Rodri are both key figures in Spain’s official squad list for the major tournament in North America, and losing either would be a huge blow to La Furia Roja’s campaign.

Spain has been drawn into Group H for the 2026 World Cup, alongside Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde.

The tournament offers a crucial opportunity for the Matadors to break their knockout-stage curse.

Since lifting the World Cup trophy in South Africa in 2010, Spain’s performances in subsequent tournaments have been disappointing.

They were eliminated in the group stage in 2014, and then suffered back-to-back round-of-16 exits in both 2018 and 2022.

This time, Spain will rely on a blend of experienced veterans and promising young talents such as Lamine Yamal and Pedri, with the aim of reclaiming their dominance on the global stage.