Joao Leandro Rodríguez González (Latin American Spanish: [ɟʝoˈao roˈðɾiɣes];[4] born 19 May 1996) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Costa Rican club Municipal Grecia. He was the first Colombian to sign for Chelsea.[5][6]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joao Leandro Rodríguez González[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 May 1996[2][3] | ||
| Place of birth | Cúcuta, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Municipal Grecia | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Boca Juniors de Cali | ||
| 2012 | Deportes Quindío | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2019 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Deportes Quindío (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Uniautónoma (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | → Bastia (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Bastia II (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 2015 | → Vitória (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Sint-Truiden (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Santa Fe (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Cortuluá (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Tampico Madero (loan) | 21 | (7) |
| 2018–2019 | → Tenerife (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Central Córdoba | 15 | (2) |
| 2020 | Necaxa | 8 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | América de Cali | 17 | (1) |
| 2022 | Jaguares | 7 | (0) |
| 2023 | Alvarado | 5 | (0) |
| 2023 | Los Chankas | 9 | (0) |
| 2024– | Municipal Grecia | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Colombia U17 | 4 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Colombia U20 | 13 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:09, 14 January 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career edit
Joao Rodríguez started part of his youth career with Colombian side Deportes Quindío. Eventually, Joao caught the eye as a prolific striker in the junior ranks of national Colombian football. His performances at the 2011 South American Under-15 Championships caught the eye of scouts worldwide, including those of Chelsea.[7][8] Joao spent two months on trial as an Under-16 and impressed enough to sign a pre-contract agreement for a five-year professional contract beginning on his seventeenth birthday. This made him the first Colombian in history to sign with the London club. As part of the agreement Rodríguez remained at Deportes Quindío to play for the 2012–13 season. The player officially joined Chelsea for the start of the 2013/14 season.
In January 2014, Rodríguez returned to Colombia to join Uniautónoma on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign.[9] On 16 March 2014, Rodríguez made his Uniautónoma debut in a 4–2 victory against Independiente Medellín, in which he played the full 90 minutes and scored in the 75th minute to give Uniautónoma a 3–0 lead.[10]
On 4 August 2014, Rodríguez joined French side Bastia, managed at the time by former Chelsea player Claude Makélélé, on loan for the season.[11] On 16 August 2014, Rodríguez made his Bastia debut in a 2–0 away defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, replacing Brandão with eighteen minutes remaining.[12] On 8 January 2015, after only making four appearances at Bastia and failing to impress, Rodríguez's loan was terminated and therefore, he returned to Chelsea.[13][14]
On 2 February 2015, Rodríguez joined Portuguese side Vitória on loan for the remainder of the 2014–15 campaign along with Mexican team-mate Ulises Dávila.[15] However, Rodríguez failed to make an impression under manager Bruno Ribeiro and returned to Chelsea at the end of the campaign after failing to register a single appearance.
On 2 August 2015, Rodríguez joined Belgian side Sint-Truiden, on loan for the season.[16] On 16 August 2015, Rodríguez made his Sint-Truiden debut in a 1–0 defeat to Gent, replacing Yuji Ono in the 74th minute.[17] On 3 October 2015, Rodríguez made his only start for Sint-Truiden in a 3–1 defeat to Waasland-Beveren, in which he played just over an hour before being replaced by Hilaire Momi.[18]
On 15 June 2016, Rodríguez joined Colombian side Santa Fe on loan for the 2016/17 campaign.[19] On 18 July 2016, Rodríguez made his Santa Fe debut in a 2–1 defeat against Junior, in which he replaced Jonathan Gómez with thirteen minutes remaining.[20] On 15 August 2016, Rodríguez was given his first Santa Fe start by manager Gustavo Costas, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat against Atlético Huila.[21] On 28 December 2016, it was announced by Santa Fe, that Rodríguez would return to Chelsea after a disappointing loan spell.[22]
On 6 January 2017, Rodríguez joined Cortuluá on loan for the first half of the 2017 campaign.[23] On 3 February 2017, Rodríguez made his Cortuluá debut in a 4–0 home defeat against Deportivo Pasto, featuring for seventy minutes before being replaced by Duvan Sánchez.[24] On 1 July 2017, Rodríguez returned to Chelsea after appearing just five times during his loan spell at Cortuluá.
On 5 September 2017, Rodríguez joined Mexican side Tampico Madero on a season-long loan.[25] A month later, Rodríguez made his debut during a 1–0 away defeat to Juárez, replacing Diego Martínez in the 82nd minute.[26] After three years without a goal, Rodríguez netted in Tampico Madero's 2–0 away victory against Venados, firing past Armando Navarrete in the 84th minute.[27] A week later, Rodríguez scored once again, rounding the goalkeeper to make it 3–0 during their league tie against Atlante.[28]
On 12 July 2018, Rodríguez joined Spanish second tier side Tenerife on a season-long loan.[29]
Rodríguez completed a move to Central Córdoba of the Argentine Primera División on a free transfer on 30 July 2019; six months after his release from Chelsea.[30] He went onto feature 19 times all in competitions, scoring three goals before leaving the club for Mexican outfit, Necaxa in July 2020, prior to a subsequent return to Colombia in March 2021, to join América de Cali.[31] Between March and December 2021, Rodríguez went onto feature twenty-two times for América de Cali, scoring once before leaving to join fellow Categoría Primera A side, Jaguares in February 2022.[32]
After spells at Alvarado in Argentina and Los Chankas in Peru, it was confirmed on 29 November 2023, that Rodríguez would join Costa Rican side Municipal Grecia from the new year.[33]
International career edit
Joao has represented Colombia in the U15 side and represented Colombia during the 2013 South American Under-17 Football Championship held in Argentina. He was given the number 10 shirt. He made his debut in a 1–1 tie of the opening match against Paraguay. Throughout the group stages, Joao led Colombia to goalless draws without creating an impact. Only in the final group stage match against Argentina did he finally score his first goal. However, Colombia lost the match 3-2 and were knocked out.
Joao joined the U20 squad for the 2014 Toulon Tournament, where he scored his first goal in his debut against Brazil after being subbed in.[34]
Career statistics edit
Club edit
- As of match played 30 August 2022[35]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea | 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Deportes Quindío (loan) | 2013 | Categoría Primera A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Uniautónoma (loan) | 2014 | Categoría Primera A | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| Bastia II (loan) | 2014–15 | CFA 2 Group C | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| Bastia (loan) | 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| Vitória de Setúbal (loan) | 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Sint-Truiden (loan) | 2015–16 | Belgian Pro League | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Santa Fe (loan) | 2016 | Categoría Primera A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Cortuluá (loan) | 2017 | Categoría Primera A | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Tampico Madero (loan) | 2017–18 | Ascenso MX | 21 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 8 | ||
| Tenerife (loan) | 2018–19 | Segunda División | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| Central Córdoba | 2019–20 | Primera División | 15 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 3 | |
| Necaxa | 2020–21 | Liga MX | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| América de Cali | 2021 | Categoría Primera A | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| Jaguares | 2022 | Categoría Primera A | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 110 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 126 | 15 | ||
- ^ Includes FA Cup, Copa Colombia, Coupe de France, Taça de Portugal, Belgian Cup, Copa MX, Copa del Rey, Copa Argentina
- ^ Includes EFL Cup, Coupe de la Ligue, Taça da Liga, Copa de la Superliga
- ^ Appearance(s) in Recopa Sudamericana
- ^ Two appearances in Copa Libertadores, two in Copa Sudamericana
References edit
- ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Joao Rodríguez at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Jhoao Rodriguez". Chelsea. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ Solo de Fútbol Fútbol (21 September 2017). "JOAO RODRIGUEZ MANDA MENSAJE A LA AFICION DEL CLUB T.M. FUTBOL JAIBA BRAVA ❤". YouTube (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Joao Rodriguez". TheChels.info.
- ^ "Joao Rodriguez - Chelsea". Neoseeker. 26 October 2012.
- ^ "Joao Rodríguez, Chelsea to the Colombia U-17". Gol Caracol. 24 August 2012.
- ^ "Chelsea U18's v Arsenal U18's (H)(F) 12/13". EskWeston (YouTube). 21 July 2012.
- ^ "Let's get familiar with the 30-strong Chelsea loanee family". SB Nation. 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Uniautónoma vs. Medellín". Soccerway. 16 March 2014.
- ^ "SC Bastia set to land triple deal | Get French Football News". getfootballnewsfrance.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "PSG vs. Bastia". Soccerway. 16 August 2014.
- ^ "Stars of the 2015 South American U20 Championship". goal.com. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "Joao Rodriguez retourne à Chelsea". Sporting Club Bastia (in French). 8 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "Joao Rodriguez, presented in the Vitoria Setubal in Portugal". AS. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ "Sint-Truiden confirm loan signing of Chelsea's Joao Rodríguez". STVV. 4 August 2015.
- ^ "Gent vs. Sint-Truiden". Soccerway. 16 August 2015.
- ^ "Sint-Truiden vs. Waasland-Beveren". Soccerway. 3 October 2015.
- ^ "Humberto Osorio Botello y Joao Rodríguez llegan a Santa Fe" (in Spanish). Futbolred. 15 June 2016.
- ^ "Junior vs. Santa Fe". Soccerway. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ "Atlético Huila vs. Santa Fe". Soccerway. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ "Official Announcement: Players Santa Fe - Season 2017". Santa Fe Official Site. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ "Cortuluá confirmed Joao Rodríguez's signing". Gol Caracol. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Cortuluá vs. Deportivo Pasto". Soccerway. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "We present our new reinforcement for the #AP2017 Welcome to Jhoao Mexico!". Tampico Madero on Twitter. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Juárez vs. Tampico Madero". Soccerway. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Venados vs. Tampico Madero". Soccerway. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Tampico Madero vs. Atlante". Soccerway. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Striker loaned to Spain". Chelsea Official Site. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "El ex del CD Tenerife Joao Rodríguez encuentra equipo siete meses después". eldorsal. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Joao Rodríguez es nuevo jugador del América de Cali" (in Spanish). AS Colombia. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ Castañeda, Santiago Garzón (2 February 2022). "Joao Rodríguez jugará en Jaguares de Córdoba" (in Spanish). El Deportivo. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Municipal Grecia sorprende al fichar futbolista que jugó en el Chelsea de Inglaterra, lateja.cr, 29 November 2023
- ^ "Colombia debuts with defeat in Toulon Tournament Hopes". El Heraldo. 25 May 2014.
- ^ "J. Rodríguez". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 May 2020.