Juan Antonio Rodríguez Villamuela (born 1 April 1982) is a Spanish former 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, rugby lea ...

who played as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. During 13 seasons, he played 325 matches in

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

in representation of

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

, Deportivo and

Getafe Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...

, for which he scored a combined 20 goals.

Football career

Born in

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, and grown through the ranks of

Málaga CF Málaga Club de Fútbol (, ''Málaga Football Club''), or simply Málaga, is a club based in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, who compete in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system, following the ...

, Rodríguez first played with the first team early into 2003–04, coming on as a 57th-minute substitute in a 2–1 away win against

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...

on 28 September 2003, ultimately appearing twice in that season and been mainly registered with the reserves. He established himself in the former the next year, becoming an undisputed starter subsequently and scoring five league goals in his first full campaign. With Málaga relegated from

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Rodríguez joined

Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña () or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, that competes in the Segunda División, the ...

after having been linked with the

Galicians Galicians ( or ''pobo galego''; ) are an ethnic group primarily residing in Galicia, northwest Iberian Peninsula. Historical emigration resulted in populations in other parts of Spain, Europe, and the Americas. Galicians possess distinct cu ...

in the previous months, signing on 13 July 2006 in a deal which earned the player approximately

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

600.000 per season, a relatively lower amount compared to players previously operating in the same position at the club:

Roberto Acuña Roberto Miguel Acuña Cabello (; born 25 March 1972) is a Paraguayan former footballer. Nicknamed "''El Toro"'' (The Bull) due to his strength and dominating presence, he operated mainly as a central midfielder. He spent several years as a ...

Aldo Duscher Álvaro 'Aldo' Pedro Duscher (born 22 March 1979) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current manager of the Paraguay national under-20 team. Renowned for his physical presence on t ...

and

Lionel Scaloni Lionel Sebastián Scaloni (, ; born 16 May 1978) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of the Argentina national team. Under his leadership, Argentina achieved the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Scalon ...

. Rodríguez was regularly played as starter during his spell with Deportivo, in various midfield positions (103 league games and six goals in his last three years combined). In late June 2011, after the side's top flight relegation, the 29-year-old signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

for

Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. They compete in La Liga, the top tier of the Football in Spain, Spanish football. The team has pla ...

, penning a four-year contract. On 4 July 2016, following Getafe's top division relegation, Rodríguez joined

RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...

from

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

. Roughly one year later, after meeting the same fate, he announced his retirement at the age of 35.Ansotegi y Juan Rodríguez anuncian su retirada como profesionales (Ansotegi and Juan Rodríguez announce professional retirement)
Diario de Mallorca, 13 July 2017 (in Spanish)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Juan 1982 births Living people Footballers from Málaga Spanish men's footballers Men's association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Atlético Malagueño players Málaga CF players Deportivo de La Coruña players Getafe CF footballers RCD Mallorca players 21st-century Spanish sportsmen