Vicente Rodríguez
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Vicente Rodríguez Guillén (; born 16 July 1981), known simply as Vicente, nicknamed ''El puñal de Benicalap'' (''The
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of Benicalap''), is a Spanish former professional footballer. A left winger with outstanding technique, pace and scoring ability, his professional career, blighted by constant injuries,Vicente targets quick comeback
UEFA, 16 January 2006
was mainly associated with
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
with whom he appeared in 340 competitive matches over 11 seasons, winning five major titles including two
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 ...
championships. Vicente represented
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in the first half of the 2000s, and played at Euro 2004.


Club career


Levante

A
Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. (; ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF or simply Valencia, is a Spanish professional Association football, football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top tier of the Spani ...
supporter since childhood,
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
-born Vicente started his professional career in the community with
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 ...
side Levante UD, making his professional debut on 23 November 1997 against CD Leganés aged only 16. He immediately attracted attention of leading teams like
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. (; ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF or simply Valencia, is a Spanish professional Association football, football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top tier of the Spani ...
and
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
but, eventually, Valencia (and its sporting director Javier Subirats) convinced the youngster to sign for the club.


Valencia

Vicente joined Valencia in the summer of 2000. Initially, his favoured position of left winger was occupied by Argentine Kily González but, despite serious contention for a first-team place, he still managed to net five goals in 33
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 ...
matches, adding 13 appearances in that season's
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
although he was left on the bench for the final against
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. The arrival of Rafael Benítez as coach in 2001–02 would mark Vicente's opportunity to prove himself, and he did not disappoint as his progress led to the club's first league title in over 30 years. While appearing in fewer games (31) he was already first-choice, and produced similar numbers the following campaign, netting his only goal in a 3–0 home win over Recreativo de Huelva. 2003–04 was Vicente's finest season as his energetic efforts propelled the ''Che'' to their second league title under Benítez, adding two goals in seven matches in the team's victorious run in the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, including one in the final where he also assisted Mista in the second (the pair combined for 30 league goals, 12 from Vicente, a career-best, with Francisco Rufete pitching in from the right flank). After a productive year, Vicente was linked with a host of important teams, but turned down any eventual move and agreed to a further four-year extension, stating: "I'm happy to remain at Valencia because I was born here and it's my home." In the 2004–05 season, however, under the management of
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, his forays down the wing appeared stagnated as the coach opted to favour fellow Italian Emiliano Moretti to provide support for him rather than to let him have a free role along the left; furthermore, ankle injuries hindered his campaign. As he returned, the manager had already been sacked, Valencia ranked seventh and he only made 12 league appearances. In the following year more of the same, as the side finished 11 points behind eventual champions
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
and he was again bothered by an ankle condition. Vicente was again often injured in 2006–07, most notably in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final clash with Chelsea which ended his campaign. The English won that tie 3–2 on aggregate while the player only took part in 16 league matches, with his team ending fourth. Vicente made an impressive comeback, opening the 3–0 victory against IF Elfsborg in the Champions League third qualifying round at the Mestalla Stadium. However, another injury occurred shortly after, this time during training, and he would end up spending another large spell in the sidelines. Disappointed, the player publicly blamed the medical staff for his continuing injuries:
"My morale is very low. I've lost all confidence in the medical staff, that's it. I've been defending them for the last two years, but I don't see any of this situation improving, when I'm still not recovered from one injury I get worse, or suffer from another one. They give me an injection and then I can't move myself for a week because of the pain". "On top of this, then they tell me maybe my injury doesn't exist, and it is psychological. It's very hard, I can't stand it any longer. I've lost all confidence in the doctor, but I don't want to be bad to anyone, but the person who loses the most is me, because I can neither play football nor help my teammates. I only ask to play twenty minutes in one go. "That is the worst part about it all, to know that when I have the opportunity to play with good health, things turn out well for me, and I play well, I can help the team," he concluded.
Valencia responded that they would open disciplinary proceedings against Vicente after these statements, citing: 'The club will take the necessary action against the player depending on whether his conduct is considered a 'serious' or 'very serious' offence under internal regulations'. The "injury saga" came to an end when the player was fined 1,200 following controversial remarks made regarding the club's medical staff. In 2008–09, although playing fewer minutes, Vicente was able to contribute more regularly, while competing for first-choice status with young Juan Mata. He came from the bench in the season opener, a 3–0 home defeat of
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, ...
, and, majorly used as a substitute (usually for Mata) during the season, still contributed six league goals. Vicente's fitness problems persisted in the following campaign, as he only made his first appearance on 6 January 2010, replacing Mata for the final 15 minutes of the 1–2 home loss against
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 ...
in the first leg of the
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
's round-of-16. Aged 29, he was released after a link that lasted 11 years.


Brighton & Hove Albion

On 2 September 2011, Vicente signed a one-year deal with
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
side Brighton & Hove Albion. He made his official debut on the 21st, in a 1–2 home loss against
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for the season's
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, winning a penalty which resulted in the Ashley Barnes goal. Vicente scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 away defeat to Ipswich Town on 1 October 2011. However, he was afflicted by injury soon after, and was out for over three months; he returned on 4 February 2012 to provide the assist for Will Buckley in the 1–0 victory over Leicester City. The following weekend, also from the bench, he set up two goals in a 2–1 win against Leeds United at
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. On 10 March 2012, Brighton beat
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2–0 at home, with Vicente scoring a brace – including one from a low free kick – lifting his team into the play-off places and stretching their unbeaten run to 12 games. In May 2013, after only 13 appearances during the season, he was released alongside Gary Dicker and Marcos Painter; following his departure he described his former boss, Gus Poyet, as "the worst person I've come across in football", "selfish" and "egocentric". On 17 April 2014, Vicente announced his retirement from football. He returned to work with Valencia as a member of the technical staff from 2016 to 2018, before coming back once again to take on ambassadorial duties with the club in January 2023.


International career

Vicente made his debut for
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in a friendly against
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on 28 March 2001, replacing Pedro Munitis in the 72nd minute of a 2–1 win at the Mestalla. He was overlooked for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. Vicente appeared in his first major tournament at the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, playing three complete group-stage matches. Constant injuries would mean he would also fail to make the final cut for the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vicente goal.''


Honours

Valencia *
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 ...
: 2001–02, 2003–04 *
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
: 2007–08 *
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
: 2003–04 *
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, 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 offic ...
:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
Individual * Don Balón Award: 2003–04


References


External links

*
CiberChe biography and stats
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vicente Rodriguez 1981 births Living people 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Footballers from Valencia Men's association football wingers La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Levante UD footballers Valencia CF players English Football League players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players UEFA Europa League–winning players Spain men's youth international footballers Spain men's under-21 international footballers Spain men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2004 players Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England Valencia CF non-playing staff