Cristian Gabriel Rodríguez Barotti (; born 30 September 1985) is a Uruguayan

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for Club Plaza Colonia de Deportes. Having received the nickname ''Cebolla'' (onion) from his

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

days, from his father, he is well known for his speed and technical ability. He spent several seasons in Portugal with Benfica and

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, and also competed professionally in France, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Argentina. Rodríguez earned 110

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for Uruguay, representing the country in two

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

and four Copa América tournaments and winning the 2011 edition of the latter.

Club career

Peñarol and PSG

Born in Juan Lacaze, Rodríguez started playing professionally, still a youngster, for local

in the

Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish , en, First Division Professional League, local: , ''First Division''), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional football league in Uru ...

, where he helped the side to the 2003 title. After an injury ruled him out for some games in late 2004, he was spotted by television cameras jumping in the stands alongside the supporters, but he eventually escaped a fine or suspension. In 2005, Rodríguez was transferred to French club

Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As ...

on a free transfer, along with

Carlos Bueno Carlos Heber Bueno Suárez (born 10 May 1980) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Artigas F.C. as a striker. Club career Born in Artigas, Artigas Department, Bueno started his career at C.A. Peñarol. He moved abroad in 20 ...

. After appearing scarcely in his first season in Ligue 1, he was important in helping the capital team barely avoid relegation, scoring his only goal in a 4–2 home win against

AS Monaco FC Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...

Porto

In late August 2007, Rodríguez moved to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

S.L. Benfica Sport Lisboa e Benfica (), commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. Founded on 28 February 1904 as ''Sport Lisboa'', Be ...

in a season-long loan, together with compatriot

Maxi Pereira Maxi may refer to: People Given name * Maxi Biancucchi (born 1984), Argentine footballer who plays for Flamengo * Maxi López (born 1984), Argentine footballer who plays in Europe * Maxi Pereira, Uruguayan footballer who plays for SL Benfica ...

who arrived from

Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievem ...

. After being one of their most important players through 2007–08, he was bought by fellow Primeira Liga club FC Porto in June 2008 (but part of the transfer fee was paid to Play International B.V.). During the two teams' match in Lisbon, on 30 August 2008, he was subjected to vitriolic abuse from the stands in a 1–1 final draw. He eventually settled nonetheless, forming an attacking trio with Argentine Lisandro López and Brazilian Hulk and also scoring occasionally through unsuspecting headers. After

Silvestre Varela Silvestre Manuel Gonçalves Varela (born 2 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for FC Porto B as a winger. He represented mainly Porto during his career, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 268 matches and 47 goals ov ...

was bought by Porto in the 2009 off-season, Rodríguez was relegated to a substitute role. He still made 32 competitive appearances in the 2010–11 campaign (two goals, including one in 11 matches in a victorious run in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

). On 17 February 2014, Rodríguez was condemned to pay a €45,000 fine for assaulting two stewards at the

Estádio da Luz The Estádio da Luz (), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, it ...

, following a tunnel brawl during the 0–1 away league loss against Benfica on 20 December 2009.

Atlético Madrid

On 28 May 2012, Rodríguez signed a four-year contract with Atlético Madrid after being released by Porto. He scored his first two goals for his new team in the Europa League group stage, against

Hapoel Tel Aviv FC Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל תל אביב , ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Tel Aviv)'' is an Israeli football club based in Tel Aviv that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club's traditional hom ...

(3–0 away victory) and

FC Viktoria Plzeň Football Club Viktoria Plzeň () is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They play in the Czech First League, the top division of football in the country. As runners-up in the 1970–71 Czechoslovak Cup, the club gained the righ ...

(home); in the latter, he netted the game's only goal through a thunderous left-foot shot in the 93rd minute. On 20 January 2015, Rodríguez joined

Parma F.C. Parma Calcio 1913 (), commonly known as Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, which competes in the Serie B, the second tier of Italian football. ''Parma Football Club'' was originally founded in Decembe ...

until the end of the season. Less than two months later, however, due to the Italian club's precarious financial situation, he joined Brazil's

Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (), commonly known as Grêmio, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre, capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The club plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, ...

also on loan. Rodríguez left Grêmio on 8 May 2015, after struggling with injuries and totalling less than 80 minutes of action.

Independiente

On 24 July 2015, Rodríguez agreed to a two-year deal at Club Atlético Independiente as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. After suffering from several injury problems, his contract was terminated on 19 December 2016.

Return to Uruguay

On 3 February 2017, Rodríguez announced his return to Peñarol. He went on to win the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

and 2018 national championships as well as the 2018 Supercopa Uruguaya, ending his second stint in April 2021 with 126 appearances and 39 goals in all competitions. Rodríguez joined Club Plaza Colonia de Deportes on 20 April 2021.

International career

Rodríguez made his Uruguay national team debut at age 18 in a friendly against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and represented the nation in two Copa América tournaments, scoring in the 2007 edition in a 4–1 quarter-final win over

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, the hosts. After assaulting

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Gabriel Heinze Gabriel Iván Heinze (; born 19 April 1978) is an Argentine football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Newell's Old Boys. As a player, he operated as a defender, either as a left-back or a centre-back. Nicknamed ''Gringo'' ...

during the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

qualifying stage (0–1 home loss) he received a four-match ban, and coach Oscar Tabárez opted to not select him for the final stages in South Africa. Rodríguez was included in the

2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...

squad, scoring the only goal in the tournament opener against

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. After the Spanish American wars ...

. The 32-year-old was also selected for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Uruguay score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rodríguez goal.''

Honours

Club

Peñarol *

: 2003,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

* Supercopa Uruguaya:

Paris Saint-Germain *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

: 2005–06 Porto * Primeira Liga: 2008–09,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, 2011–12 *

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 sea ...

: 2008–09, 2009–10,

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese football match played since 1979 between the winners of the Portuguese League (Primeira Liga) and Portuguese ...

: 2010 *

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

runner-up: 2011 Atlético Madrid *

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

: 2013–14 *

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

* Supercopa de España:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

; Runner-up

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

*UEFA Super Cup:

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

International

Uruguay * Copa América: 2011

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Cristian 1985 births Living people People from Juan Lacaze Uruguayan people of Spanish descent Uruguayan sportspeople of Italian descent Uruguayan footballers Association football wingers Uruguayan Primera División players Peñarol players Club Plaza Colonia de Deportes players Ligue 1 players Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players Primeira Liga players S.L. Benfica footballers FC Porto players La Liga players Atlético Madrid footballers Serie A players Parma Calcio 1913 players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético Independiente footballers Uruguay youth international footballers Uruguay under-20 international footballers Uruguay international footballers 2004 Copa América players 2007 Copa América players 2011 Copa América players 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Copa América players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Copa América-winning players FIFA Century Club Uruguayan expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Brazil Expatriate footballers in Argentina Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in France Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Argentina

Club career

Peñarol and PSG

Porto

Atlético Madrid

Independiente

Return to Uruguay

International career

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

International

See also

References

External links