Rodrigo (footballer, born 1991)

Rodrigo
Rodrigo with Spain at the 2018 World Cup
Personal information
Full name Rodrigo Moreno Machado
Date of birth (1991-03-06) 6 March 1991
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position Winger / Striker
Club information
Current team
 Valencia
Number 19
Youth career
2002 Flamengo
2003–2005 Ureca
2005–2009 Celta
2009 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009 Real Madrid C 4 (1)
2009–2010 Real Madrid B 18 (5)
2010–2015 Benfica 68 (27)
2010–2011 → Bolton Wanderers (loan) 17 (1)
2014–2015 → Valencia (loan) 31 (3)
2015– Valencia 88 (24)
National team‡
2009–2010 Spain U19 11 (6)
2011 Spain U20 6 (3)
2011–2013 Spain U21 16 (15)
2012 Spain U23 4 (0)
2014– Spain 12 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 October 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2018

Rodrigo Moreno Machado (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈðɾiɣo moˈɾeno maˈtʃaðo]; born 6 March 1991), known simply as Rodrigo, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Valencia CF and the Spain national team as a winger or striker.

He started his career with Real Madrid, appearing solely for its reserve teams. In 2010 he signed with Benfica with whom he won four titles, most notably the domestic treble in the 2013–14 season.

Born in Brazil, Rodrigo represented Spain at youth level, and in 2013 he won the European Championship with the under-21 team. The following year, he earned his first cap for the senior side, appearing for them at the 2018 World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo moved to Spain in his early teens, settling in Galicia and started playing organized football with Celta de Vigo. In 2009, aged 18, he moved to Real Madrid to complete his development.[2]

Only a few weeks after arriving, Rodrigo started playing as a senior with the C-team. Shortly after, he was promoted to Real Madrid Castilla in Segunda División B, making his debut with the latter on 29 November 2009 in a 4–3 away win against UD Lanzarote (29 minutes played).[3]

Benfica

On 31 July 2010, Rodrigo signed a five-year contract with S.L. Benfica for a reported fee of €6 million. Real Madrid had an option to re-buy the player for €12 million during the next two seasons; however, after Fábio Coentrão's transfer to the Spanish club, the teams agreed to cancel the buyback clause.[4]

The following month, Rodrigo joined Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League on a season-long loan.[5][6] He made his official debut in a League Cup game at Burnley on 21 September, starting in a 0–1 away loss.[7]

Rodrigo first appeared in the league for the Trotters on 23 October 2010, at Wigan Athletic, coming on as a substitute for Lee Chung-Yong midway through the second half of a 1–1 draw.[8] On 5 January 2011, against the same opponent, he scored his only goal of the campaign, with the game ending with the same result.[9]

Rodrigo lining-up for Benfica in 2012

Returning to Benfica for 2011–12, Rodrigo played in 38 official matches in his first year and scored 16 goals, including the opener in the season's Taça da Liga final against Gil Vicente FC, which his team won for the fourth year in a row (2–1).[10] On 2 January 2013, he combined with Óscar Cardozo for five goals in a 6–0 home routing of C.D. Aves for the fifth round of the Taça de Portugal.[11]

On 31 January 2014, Benfica (and Benfica Stars Fund) sold 100% of Rodrigo's economic rights to a private company, Meriton Capital Limited, owned by Peter Lim, for €30 million, plus another potential €10 million on performance-related bonuses.[12] He remained with them until the end of the campaign.[13][14] On 10 April he scored both of his team's goals in a 2–0 home win against AZ Alkmaar for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, which powered the hosts to the last-four stage 3–0 on aggregate.[15]

Rodrigo scored Benfica's first goal in a 2–0 final win over Rio Ave F.C. in the league cup, and was subsequently voted Man of the match as his team won the competition for the fifth time in seven years.[16] On 14 May he had his penalty shootout attempt saved by Sevilla FC's Beto, in an eventual Europa League final loss;[17][18] in total, he contributed with 18 goals in 43 games all competitions comprised to win an unprecedented treble of Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and League Cup.[19]

Valencia

Rodrigo in April 2015, ahead of Valencia's derby against Levante.

On 23 July 2014, Rodrigo moved back to Spain, after agreeing to a one-season loan deal with Valencia CF.[20] Although his economic rights were owned by Lim, a loan was arranged to take him and André Gomes to Valencia due to Lim's purchase of the latter club.[21]

Rodrigo made his debut for the Che on 23 August 2014, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Sevilla.[22] He scored his first La Liga goal on 22 September, netting the last of a 3–0 away success against Getafe CF through a penalty, but was later sent off;[23] he was dismissed the following 30 May for striking Rayo Vallecano's Toño, and banned for three games by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.[24]

On 15 June 2015, Benfica and Valencia announced they had reached an agreement on Rodrigo's federative rights, and he signed a four-year contract with the latter until 30 June 2019, for a reported fee of €30 million.[25][26] After moderate returns in his first three seasons at the Mestalla Stadium, he scored a career-best 16 goals (19 in all competitions) in 2017–18 as the Marcelino García Toral-led team qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League;[27] in late November 2017, he was rewarded with a new deal through 2022 with a reported release clause of €120 million.[28]

International career

Rodrigo competed for Spain internationally, starting with the under-19s which he helped to the second position in the 2010 UEFA European Championship by netting two goals, including one in the final against France. He then competed in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, helping the national team to the quarter-finals with his three goals.

Rodrigo made his debut for the Spanish under-21 side on 1 September 2011, scoring a hat-trick in Georgia for the 2013 European Championship qualifiers (7–2 win).[29] On 21 March 2013, in a friendly against Norway, he netted his 13th goal in the category to help to the 5–2 triumph in Toledo, thus becoming the highest goal scorer after surpassing Óscar García's record which had stood since 1992.[30]

Rodrigo was included in Spain's squad at the 2012 Summer Olympics,[31] appearing in two games in an eventual group stage exit in London. On 3 October 2014, he was one of 23 players selected by Vicente del Bosque for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg,[32] making his debut in the latter game by replacing Diego Costa in the 82nd minute and assisting the fourth and last goal for Juan Bernat.[33]

On 6 October 2017, nearly three years after his first cap, Rodrigo marked his second by starting and scoring the first goal in an eventual 3–0 home defeat of Albania for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, in Alicante.[34] He was then included in the squad for the finals in Russia,[35] making his debut in the competition on 20 June when he replaced Costa for the final minute of the 1–0 group stage win against Iran.[36]

Personal life

Rodrigo moved to Spain at a young age when his father, Brazilian footballer Adalberto, opened a football school in Vigo alongside 1994 FIFA World Cup winner Mazinho. He was a lifelong friend of the latter's sons Thiago Alcântara and Rafinha, who were raised in footballing terms at FC Barcelona and also represented Spain and Brazil respectively, and was erroneously reported to be their cousin.[37][38]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 September 2018[39]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Real Madrid B 2009–10 185———185
Bolton Wanderers 2010–11 1713010—211
Benfica 2011–12 2293244913816
2012–13 20762311013911
2013–14 26115231944318
Total 682714610628612045
Valencia 2014–15 31311——324
2015–16 25242—93387
2016–17 19522——217
2017–18 371673——4419
2018–19 3100—0031
Total 11527148—9313838
Career totals 21860311411637929789

International

As of match played 11 October 2018[40]
Spain
YearAppsGoals
201410
201721
201893
Total124

International goals

As of 11 September 2018 (Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rodrigo goal)[40]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 October 2017Estadio José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain Albania1–03–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.23 March 2018Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany Germany1–01–1Friendly
3.8 September 2018Wembley Stadium, London, England England2–12–12018–19 UEFA Nations League A
4.11 September 2018Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain Croatia4–06–0

Honours

Club

Benfica

International

Spain U21
Spain U19

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Entrevista exclusiva Rodrigo: "Estaría encantado de volver al Real Madrid. ¿Quién no?" [Exclusive interview Rodrigo: "I'd be delighted to return to Real Madrid. Who wouldn't?]. Goal. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "La UD Lanzarote cae con honra frente al Real Madrid Castilla" [UD Lanzarote fall valiantly to Real Madrid Castilla]. Crónicas de Lanzarote (in Spanish). 30 November 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "El Real Madrid traspasa a Rodrigo al Benfica por seis millones de euros" [Real Madrid sell Rodrigo to Benfica for six million euros]. Marca (in Spanish). 31 July 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  5. ↑ "Rodrigo signs on at The Reebok". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  6. ↑ "Bolton sign Rodrigo Moreno from Benfica on loan". BBC Sport. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  7. ↑ "Elliott effort ensures Clarets win". ESPN Soccernet. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  8. ↑ "Elmander grabs point for Trotters". ESPN Soccernet. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "Stam strike rescues Wigan". ESPN Soccernet. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Benfica win Taça da Liga". PortuGOAL. 14 April 2012. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Benfica annihilate Aves". PortuGOAL. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Portuguese Securities Market Commission. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Benfica cash in on Rodrigo, Andre Gomes". Soccer News. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "Peter Lim, o homem que comprou os passes de Rodrigo e André Gomes" [Peter Lim, the men who bought the rights for Rodrigo and André Gomes] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Rodrigo at the double to down AZ". ESPN FC. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Rodrigo homem do jogo: "Mérito é de todos"" [Rodrigo man of the match: «It's everybody's merit»] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  17. ↑ "Spot-on Sevilla leave Benfica dreams in tatters". UEFA. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  18. ↑ Gardner, Paul (15 May 2014). "Brazen goalkeeper cheating helps Sevilla win Europa League". Soccer America. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Rodrigo: "Jesus foi importantíssimo na minha evolução"" [Rodrigo: "Jesus was very important in my evolution"]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 May 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  20. ↑ "Comunicado oficial" [Official announcement] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Valência procura "forma jurídica" para levar Rodrigo e André Gomes" [Valencia looks for "legal way" to take Rodrigo and André Gomes] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "Sevilla 1–1 Valencia: Ten-man visitors snatch draw at the death". Goal. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "El naranja pinta muy bien" [Orange is such a great colour]. Marca (in Spanish). 22 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  24. ↑ "Tres partidos a Rodrigo (Valencia) y Jémez (Rayo)" [Three games for Rodrigo (Valencia) and Jémez (Rayo)]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 6 May 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  25. ↑ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Portuguese Securities Market Commission. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  26. ↑ "Rodrigo Moreno joins Valencia CF on a permanent deal through to 2019". Valencia CF. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  27. ↑ "Rodrigo Moreno's renaissance – how ex-Bolton loanee roared back to book World Cup place with Spain". Sky Sports. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  28. ↑ Conrado Valle (23 November 2017). "Valencia hand Rodrigo Moreno contract extension to 2022". Diario AS. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  29. ↑ "2–7: España golea a Georgia y suma sus primeros puntos de cara al Europeo" [2–7: Spain rout Georgia and score first points for European Championship]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 September 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  30. ↑ "5–2: Exhibición de Tello y goleada de España" [5–2: Tello show and Spain routing]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 21 March 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  31. ↑ "Euro 2012 trio Mata, Alba & Martinez in Spain Olympic squad". BBC Sport. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  32. ↑ "Chelsea's Diego Costa named in Spain squad". BBC Sport. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  33. ↑ "Spain bounce back with Luxembourg success". UEFA. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  34. ↑ Nicholas McGee (6 October 2017). "Spain 3 Albania 0: World Cup place wrapped up as Pique gets mixed reception". Goal. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  35. ↑ "Morata misses out on Spain's 23-man World Cup squad". Goal. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  36. ↑ "Diego Costa scores again, Spain beats Iran 1–0 at World Cup". The New York Times. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "Primos en el césped" [Cousins on the pitch]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 December 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  38. ↑ "Thiago y Rodrigo, los falsos primos 'ingleses'" [Thiago and Rodrigo, the false 'English' cousins]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 12 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  39. ↑ Rodrigo at Soccerway. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  40. 1 2 "Rodrigo". European Football. 7 October 2017.
  41. ↑ "Ivanović heads Chelsea to Europa League glory". UEFA. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  42. ↑ Chris Myson (19 June 2013). "Euro Under-21 Team of the Tournament: Thiago & Isco star as Spain dominate". Goal. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  43. ↑ "UEFA Europa League squad of the season". UEFA. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  44. ↑ "Rodrigo named LaLiga Santander Player of the Month for March". La Liga. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
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