Rodrigo Moreno Machado (; born 6 March 1991), known as Rodrigo, is a professional
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, rugb ...
who plays as a
striker or
winger for
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
and the
Spain national team.
He started his career with
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, appearing solely for its
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
s. In 2010 he signed with
Benfica with whom he won four titles, most notably
the domestic treble in the
2013–14 season. He then spent six years at
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
, scoring 59 goals in 220 games and winning the
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 ...
in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. In 2020, he joined
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
.
Born in Brazil, Rodrigo represented
Spain at youth level, and in
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 ...
he won the
European Championship with the
under-21 team. The following year, he earned his first
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
for the
senior side, appearing for them at 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 ...
.
Club career
Early career
Born in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Rodrigo moved to Spain in his early teens, settling in
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
and started playing organised football with
RC Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues ...
. In 2009, aged 18, he moved to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
to complete his development.
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
Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team that plays in Primera Federación – Group 1 for the 2022–23 season. It is Real Madrid's reserve team. They play their home games at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium with a capac ...
in
Segunda División B
Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foo ...
, making his debut with the latter on 29 November 2009 in a 4–3 away win against
UD Lanzarote (29 minutes played).
Benfica
On 31 July 2010, Rodrigo signed a five-year contract with
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 ...
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
Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão (; born 11 March 1988) is a Portuguese former professional footballer. Mainly a left-back, he also operated as a winger and occasionally as a defensive midfielder.
After starting playing professionally with ...
's transfer to the Spanish club, both parties agreed to cancel the buyback clause.
The following month, Rodrigo joined
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...
of the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
on a
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
-long loan. He made his official debut in a
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
fixture at
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...
on 21 September, starting in a
0–1 away loss.
Rodrigo first appeared in the league for Bolton on 23 October 2010, coming on as a
substitute for
Lee Chung-yong midway through the second half of a 1–1 away draw with
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
. On 5 January 2011, against the same opponent, he scored his only goal of the campaign, with the game ending with the same result.
![Rodrigo Moreno Machado](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Rodrigo_Moreno_Machado.jpg)
Returning to Benfica for
2011–12, Rodrigo played 38 competitive matches in his first year and scored 16 goals, including the opener in
the season's
Taça da Liga
The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tiers ...
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
against
Gil Vicente FC, which his team won for the fourth year in a row (2–1).
On 2 January 2013, he combined with
Óscar Cardozo
Óscar René Cardozo Marín (; born 20 May 1983) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Club Libertad and the Paraguay national team.
Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained att ...
for five goals in a 6–0 home defeat of
C.D. Aves in
the fifth round of the
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 seaso ...
.
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
Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singa ...
, for €30 million, plus another potential €10 million on performance-related bonuses– he remained with them until the end of
the campaign. On 10 April he scored a brace in a 2–0 home win against
AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...
in
the quarter-finals of 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. It ...
, which took the hosts through to the last-four stage 3–0 on aggregate.
Rodrigo scored Benfica's first goal in a
2–0 final victory over
Rio Ave F.C.
Rio Ave Futebol Clube, commonly known as Rio Ave (), is a Portuguese professional football club based in Vila do Conde, that competes in the Primeira Liga. The club is named after the Ave River, which flows through the town and into the Atlanti ...
in the
league cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, and was subsequently voted
Player of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
as the
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
side won the competition for the fifth time in seven years.
On 14 May he had his
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
attempt saved by
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA Euro ...
's
Beto, in an eventual
Europa League final loss;
in total, he contributed 18 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions to win an unprecedented
treble of
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
,
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 seaso ...
and League Cup.
Valencia
![Rodrigo Moreno](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Rodrigo_Moreno.jpg)
On 23 July 2014, Rodrigo moved back to Spain, after agreeing to a one-season loan deal with
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...
. Although his economic rights were owned by Lim, a loan was arranged to take him and
André Gomes
André Filipe Tavares Gomes (; born 30 July 1993) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lille, on loan from club Everton.
He played three years at Benfica, where he won the domestic tr ...
to Valencia due to Lim's purchase of the latter club.
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. He scored his first
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's ...
goal on 22 September, netting the last of a 3–0 away win over
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol (), or simply Getafe, is a professional football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. The team competes in La Liga, the highest tier of the Spanish football system. The club's home stadium (owned and op ...
through a
penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
, but was later
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
; he was dismissed the following 30 May for striking
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
's
Toño, and banned for three games by the
Royal Spanish Football Federation
The Royal Spanish Football Federation ( es, Real Federación Española de Fútbol; RFEF) is the governing body of football in Spain. It is based in La Ciudad del Fútbol of Las Rozas, a municipality near Madrid. It was founded on 14 October 1909 ...
.
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. After moderate returns in his first three seasons at the
Mestalla Stadium
Mestalla Stadium ( es, Estadio de Mestalla , ca-valencia, Estadi de Mestalla ) is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium is the home of Valencia Club de Fútbol and has a capacity of 48,600 seats, making it the 8th-largest stadium i ...
, he scored a career-best 16 goals (19 in all competitions) in
2017–18 as the
Marcelino García Toral
Marcelino García Toral (; born 14 August 1965), known simply as Marcelino in his playing days, is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder.
During a ten-year senior career, he amassed La Liga totals o ...
-led team
qualified for the group stage of the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
; in late November 2017, he was rewarded with a new deal through 2022 with a reported release clause of €120 million.
On 29 January 2019, Rodrigo scored a second-half
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
– including two goals in injury time – as the hosts defeated Getafe 3–1 in
the quarter-finals of the
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 ...
, winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate. He also scored in
the decisive match, a 2–1 defeat of
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded ...
at the
Estadio Benito Villamarín
Estadio Benito Villamarín is a stadium in Seville, Spain, and the home of Real Betis since its completion in 1929. It has a capacity of 60,720.
History Construction
As early as 1912, the Spanish architect Aníbal González Álvarez-Ossorio had ...
.
On 17 September 2019, Rodrigo scored the only goal of the match in the first
Champions League group stage fixture, providing Valencia's first ever win against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
in the club's history. On 10 December, he repeated the feat in a 1–0 away win over
AFC Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
to reach the knockout phase.
Leeds United
On 29 August 2020,
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
announced the signing of Rodrigo on a four-year deal for a club-record fee of £27 million (€30 million). He made his Premier League debut for them in the first match of
the season against reigning champions
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 12 September, coming on as a substitute in the 4–3 defeat at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
. Four days later, he made his first start in a 1–1 draw with
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
in the
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
(penalty shootout loss).
Rodrigo scored his first goal on 3 October 2020, in a 1–1 home league draw against
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. Having missed several games through a groin injury at the beginning of 2021, he was used sparingly by
Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning "The Crazy Bielsa"; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional football manager who was most recently the head coach of Premier League club Leeds United. He is a forme ...
upon his return before hitting strong form at the end of the campaign, scoring his first brace for the club on 15 May in a 4–0 away victory over
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...
. He finished his first year with seven goals, four of them coming in the final four fixtures.
Rodrigo scored six times in the league in the
2021–22 campaign, with his team managing to stay up in the last matchday.
Rodrigo sustained a bone and ligament injury, requiring minor surgery, during Leeds’ 3-1
FA Cup fourth-round win at
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...
on 28 January 2023, with recuperation expected to keep him out of the team until April.
International career
Rodrigo competed for
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
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
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He then appeared in the
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 18th FIFA U-20 World Cup. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities. The tournament was won by Brazil who claimed their fifth title.
At a FIFA ...
, 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 three times in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
in the
2013 European Championship qualifiers (7–2 rout). On 21 March 2013, in a
friendly against
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, he scored his 13th goal in the category to help to the 5–2 victory in
Toledo, thus becoming the highest goal scorer after surpassing
Óscar García's record which had stood since 1992.
Rodrigo was included in
Spain's squad at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, 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
Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...
for
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
matches against
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
and
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
, making his debut in the latter game by replacing
Diego Costa
Diego da Silva Costa (, ; born 7 October 1988), commonly known as Diego Costa, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Spain national team.
Costa began his football care ...
in the 82nd minute and
assisting the fourth and last goal for
Juan Bernat
Juan Bernat Velasco (; born 1 March 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
He began his career at Valencia, featuring in three La Liga campaigns for the club. He moved to Bayern ...
.
On 6 October 2017, nearly three years after his first
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
, Rodrigo marked his second by starting and scoring the first goal in a 3–0 home defeat of Albania national football team, Albania in the 2018 FIFA World Cup 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), qualifiers, in Alicante. He was then included in the squad for the finals in Russia, making his debut in FIFA World Cup, the competition on 20 June when he replaced Costa for the final minute of the 1–0 group stage win against Iran national football team, Iran.
Personal life
Rodrigo moved to Spain at a young age when his father, Brazilian footballer Adalberto Machado, Adalberto, opened a football school in Vigo alongside 1994 FIFA World Cup winner Mazinho. He is a lifelong friend of the latter's sons Thiago Alcântara and Rafinha (footballer, born February 1993), Rafinha, who were raised in footballing terms at
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded ...
and also represented Spain and Brazil respectively, and was erroneously reported to be their cousin.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''As of match played 13 October 2020. Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rodrigo goal.''
[
]
Honours
Benfica
*Primeira Liga: 2013–14 Primeira Liga, 2013–14
*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 seaso ...
: 2013–14 Taça de Portugal, 2013–14[
*]Taça da Liga
The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tiers ...
: 2011–12 Taça da Liga, 2011–12,[ 2013–14 Taça da Liga, 2013–14][
*]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. It ...
runner-up: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, 2012–13, 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, 2013–14[
Valencia
*]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 ...
: 2018–19 Copa del Rey, 2018–19[
Spain U19
*UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, 2010
Spain U21
*UEFA European Under-21 Championship: ]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 ...
Individual
*UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, 2013–14
*La Liga Player of the Month: March 2018
See also
*List of Spain international footballers born outside Spain
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodrigo
1991 births
Living people
Brazilian emigrants to Spain
Naturalised citizens of Spain
Brazilian footballers
Spanish footballers
Footballers from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Association football forwards
La Liga players
Segunda División B players
Tercera División players
Real Madrid C footballers
Real Madrid Castilla footballers
Valencia CF players
Primeira Liga players
S.L. Benfica footballers
Premier League players
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Leeds United F.C. players
Spain youth international footballers
Spain under-21 international footballers
Spain under-23 international footballers
Spain international footballers
2018 FIFA World Cup players
Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers of Spain
Spanish expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Portugal
Expatriate footballers in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England