Rodrigo Ribeiro Souto (born September 9, 1983) is a retired Brazilian

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 playsedas a

defensive midfielder 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 boundari ...

. He has previously played for several Brazilian clubs as well as in Japan.

Playing 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 ...

, Rodrigo was a product of São Cristóvão youth (along with others such as Brazilian superstar forward Ronaldo). He earned a transfer to Vasco da Gama at only 17 years of age. Souto built his career in Vasco, initially playing as a

. However, the team back then put many players in that position on the lineup, and so Rodrigo was able to show his attacking skills. He then began to be deployed as a right attacking midfielder. In such position, he made a move to

Atlético Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...

. Although he conquered Paraná State League in 2005, he did not establish himself as a regular and, after six months, switched clubs again, this time to Figueirense. There he again won the

State league The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield is the premier domestic women's one-day cricket competition in New Zealand. The tournament began in 1935–36, as a first-class competition, but is now played as a 50-over competition, with six provincial teams ...

and again was deployed as a defensive midfielder, and even as a right back or sweeper in emergencies.

Santos

Souto's performance at Figueirense in 2006 earned him a transfer to Santos where he made a solid pairing with Chilean international, Claudio Maldonado. He was once again

State League The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield is the premier domestic women's one-day cricket competition in New Zealand. The tournament began in 1935–36, as a first-class competition, but is now played as a 50-over competition, with six provincial teams ...

champion in 2007, with a really high grade on the final game. He had a great year with Santos in 2007, also finishing 2nd in the Série A. In 2008, Santos did not perform well in all competitions but Souto continued as a first-choice player in the midfield. In 2009 Santos improved and Souto played well in the beginning of the Série A, scoring two headed goals against

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goi ...

in the first round of the League. Santos however could not qualify for the Copa Libertadores of 2010.

São Paulo

Souto moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

from Santos in 2010, as a deal with midfielder Arouca. He fit well into the squad and played good matches for São Paulo.

Retirement

In September 2018 it was confirmed, that Souto had decided to retire.Rodrigo Souto se aposenta aos 35 anos e lembra do quase acerto com o PSG
globoesporte.globo.com, 11 September 2018

Honours

;Vasco da Gama * Rio de Janeiro State League: 2003 ;Atlético Paranaense * Paraná State League: 2005 ;Figueirense * Santa Catarina State League: 2006 ;Santos * São Paulo State League: 2007

References

External links

*
CBF

santos.globo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Souto, Rodrigo 1983 births Living people Brazilian men's footballers Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players J1 League players São Cristóvão de Futebol e Regatas players CR Vasco da Gama players Club Athletico Paranaense players Figueirense FC players Santos FC players São Paulo FC players Júbilo Iwata players Clube Náutico Capibaribe players Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players Clube Atlético Penapolense players Resende FC players Olaria Atlético Clube players Men's association football midfielders Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate men's footballers in Japan Footballers from Rio de Janeiro (city)