Maximiliano Rubén "Maxi" Rodríguez (born 2 January 1981 in Rosario, Santa Fe) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maximiliano Rubén Rodríguez[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger / Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Liverpool | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2002 | Newell's Old Boys | 56 | (20) |
| 2001 | → Oviedo (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2005 | Espanyol | 110 | (26) |
| 2005–2010 | Atlético Madrid | 120 | (31) |
| 2010– | Liverpool | 10 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2003– | Argentina | 35 | (10) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 March 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2009 | |||
Nicknamed La Fiera, he is commonly used as a winger, but can also operate as an attacking midfielder.[2]
He arrived in Spain in his early 20's, and went on to spend the bulk of professional career there, playing almost exclusively for Espanyol and Atlético Madrid.
Club career
Argentina/Spain
Rodríguez came through the youth set-up at Newell's Old Boys in the Argentine League, and played for the club for three seasons before moving to Spain (having already played six months on loan to Real Oviedo, then in the country's second division).
In 2002, he moved to La Liga with RCD Espanyol, his league debut coming on 2 September in a 0–2 loss against Real Madrid. He played 37 matches in every campaign with the Catalonians, scoring 15 times during his last season, including the club's 2000th Spanish league goal.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Rodríguez moved to Atlético Madrid for a transfer fee of €90 million,[3] where he continued to post consistent numbers. In his second year, he suffered, alongside teammate (and winger) Martin Petrov, a serious knee injury (ACL), which limited him to only 10 appearances.[4]
On 10 November 2009, Rodríguez put four goals past UD Marbella in the Spanish Cup Round-of-32 second leg, in an eventual 6–0 home win (8–0 aggregate).
Liverpool
On 13 January 2010, Rodríguez completed a free transfer to Liverpool, signing a three-and-a-half year deal [5] and being given the number 17 shirt.[6] He made his debut for the club as a second-half substitute in a league match against Stoke City on the 16th,[7] his first full start coming a week and a half later, away to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Since his arrival to Liverpool, he has gained two league assists, both of which were for his former Atletico Madrid teammate Fernando Torres.
International career
Rodríguez won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with the Argentina under-20's on home turf, he topped the scoring with four goals in seven matches, scoring the first and last goals for the sruffas winners.
He made his full squad debut in a friendly match against Japan in 2003. After being part of the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup squad, Rodríguez was called for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by national boss José Pekerman. On 16 June, he scored twice in Argentina's 6–0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro in the group stage.
In the round of 16, Rodríguez scored the winning goal against Mexico in a 2–1 extra time victory. He controlled a cross-field pass from Juan Pablo Sorín with his chest before volleying into the top corner from outside the penalty area with his left foot, in the 98th minute.[8] In an official online poll by FIFA, it was voted the best goal of the tournament.[9]
After Argentina lost the quarter-final game against Germany on 30 June 2006, Rodríguez punched German player Bastian Schweinsteiger in the back. FIFA fined him CHF5,000 and suspended him from two matches in the 2007 Copa América for violent conduct.[10] However, after a serious knee injury in a friendly with Spain in October 2006, he missed the continental competition, as national team manager Alfio Basile, whom initially intended to select the player, eventually rested him for precaution.[11]
Rodríguez scored in Diego Maradona's first game in charge of Argentina, a 0–1 friendly win in Scotland.[12]
International goals
As of 10 August 2009
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 August 2005 | Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary |
1 – 0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 30 May 2006 | Stadio Arechi, Salerno, Italy |  Angola |
1 – 0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 16 June 2006 | WM Stadion Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany |  Serbia and Montenegro |
1 – 0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 4. | 16 June 2006 | WM Stadion Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Serbia and Montenegro |
3 – 0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 5. | 24 June 2006 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany |  Mexico |
2 – 1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 6. | 22 August 2007 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Norway |
1 – 2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 7. | 4 June 2008 | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, USA | Mexico |
3 – 0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 8. | 19 November 2008 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland |
1 – 0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 9. | 28 March 2009 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Venezuela |
3 – 0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
Club statistics
| Club | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cup | International Club Competition |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2009–10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Atlético Madrid | 2009–10 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 24 | 8 |
| 2008–09 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 39 | 9 | |
| 2007–08 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 8 | |
| 2006–07 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2005–06 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 11 | |
| Total | 121 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 145 | 42 | |
| Espanyol | 2004–05 | 37 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 15 |
| 2003–04 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 4 | |
| 2002–03 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| Total | 110 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 26 | |
| Newell's Old Boys | 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Oviedo | 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Newell's Old Boys | 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career Totals | 236 | 58 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 260 | 68 | |
Other ventures
In 2009, Rodríguez appeared in a music video for Coti, starring alongside Atlético teammate Diego Forlán.[13]
References
- ^ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/01/2010 and 31/01/2010" (PDF). The Football Association. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ A2BWorldCup biography
- ^ Al final llegaron a buen puerto (Finally they agreed); ESPN Deportes, 29 June 2005 Template:Es icon
- ^ Maxi Rodriguez, Petrov out for six months; ESPN Soccernet, 16 October 2006
- ^ "Maxi makes Reds move". Sky Sports. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ In profile: Our new no. 17; Liverpool's official website
- ^ "Stoke City 1 Liverpool 1: match report". The Daily Telegraph. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Argentina 2-1 Mexico (aet)". BBC. 2006-06-24. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
- ^ "FIFAworldcup.com sets new standards in online coverage of football". FIFA.com. 2006-06-13. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ "Rooney, Cufre and Rodriguez handed bans by FIFA". Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 2006-07-08. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
- ^ No lo tendrá en cuenta (Will not be called); ESPN Deportes, 14 June 2007 Template:Es icon
- ^ Maxi winner gets Maradona off the mark; UEFA.com, 19 November 2008
- ^ Maxi Rodríguez y Diego Forlán, invitados de lujo en el nuevo videoclip de Coti (Maxi Rodríguez and Diego Forlán, stellar guests in Coti's new video); Atlético's official website, 17 March 2009 Template:Es icon