Rodríguez training with Liverpool in 2011 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maximiliano Rubén Rodríguez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | January 2, 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [2] | ||
| Playing position | Winger / Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Liverpool | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2002 | Newell's Old Boys | 57 | (20) |
| 2002–2005 | Espanyol | 111 | (26) |
| 2005–2010 | Atlético Madrid | 121 | (32) |
| 2010– | Liverpool | 51 | (13) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003– | Argentina | 41 | (12) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:25, 26 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Maximiliano Rubén "Maxi" Rodríguez (born 2 January 1981 in Rosario, Santa Fe) is an Argentine footballer who plays for English Football team Liverpool, who play in the Barclays Premiership. Nicknamed La Fiera, he is commonly used as a right winger or a left winger, but can also operate as an attacking midfielder.[3]
Rodríguez arrived in Spain in his early 20s, and went on to spend the bulk of his professional career there, playing for RCD Espanyol and Atlético Madrid and amassing La Liga totals of 232 games and 58 goals, over the course of eight seasons.
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Rodríguez came through the youth set-up at Newell's Old Boys in the Argentine first division, and played for the club for three seasons before moving to Spain.
In 2002, Rodríguez 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 Catalans, 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 €5 million,[4] 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.[5]
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). After the 2007 departure of Fernando Torres to Liverpool, he was selected as the new club captain.
On 13 January 2010, Rodríguez completed a free transfer to Liverpool, signing a three-and-a-half year deal [6] and being given the number 17 shirt.[7] He made his debut for the club as a second-half substitute in a league match against Stoke City on the 16th,[8] his first full start coming a week and a half later, away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In his first games for Liverpool, Rodríguez gained two league assists, both of which were for former Atlético teammate Torres. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on 25 April 2010 playing the full 90 minutes.[9]
2010-11 was a good season for Maxi, scoring 10 league goals for Liverpool. He scored 3 under Roy Hodgson against Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United and Aston Villa. Maxi did not score again until Liverpool's 5-0 win over Birmingham City when he scored a hat-trick. He followed up a week later scoring a deflected shot against Newcastle United. Maxi scored another hat-trick for Liverpool the following week in their 5-2 win at Craven Cottage, scoring 2 goals in the opening 7 minutes, the first being just after 32 seconds. He completed his hat-trick with an ambitious effort from 25 yards out.
On 8 July 2011, Maxi switched his number from 17 to 11.[10] On 16 July 2011 Maxi scored twice in Liverpool's pre-season friendly with Malaysia, which finished 6-3 to the Reds. On 24 August 2011, Maxi was given his first start of the season in a League Cup tie against Exeter City, which Liverpool went on to win 3-1 with Maxi scoring the second goal. On 20 November 2011 he scored against Chelsea following a build-up with teammate Craig Bellamy, the game ended 2-1 for Liverpool with goals from Glen Johnson and Daniel Sturridge for Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively. Nine days later, he scored in the same end yet again from a Craig Bellamy assist against Chelsea in the Carling Cup quarter final at Stamford Bridge, the match finished 2-0 with Martin Kelly getting the other. On 26 December he scored a goal against Blackburn Rovers to make the match 1-1, the match ended 1-1 the other goal was Charlie Adam own goal, making it his 2nd Premier League goal of the season. .
Rodríguez won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with the Argentina under-20s on home turf, scoring four goals in seven matches, scoring the first and last goals for the winners.
He made his full squad debut in a friendly match against Japan on June 8, 2003, in which he also scored.[11] After being part of the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup squad, Rodríquez 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 it into the top corner of Oswaldo Sánchez's net from outside the penalty area with his left foot, in the 98th minute.[12] In an unofficial online poll by FIFA, it was voted the best goal of the tournament.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
Rodríguez scored in Diego Maradona's first game in charge of Argentina, a 0–1 friendly win in Scotland.[16] On 19 May 2010, he was named in the squad of 23 for the World Cup in South Africa[17] and, in the last home game before the finals five days later, scored twice against Canada, a freekick from a sharp angle and he received a pass from Carlos Tévez to slot home in a 5–0 win.[18]
Argentina's goal tally first
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 June 2003 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan | Japan | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 17 August 2005 | Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 30 May 2006 | Stadio Arechi, Salerno, Italy | Angola | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 16 June 2006 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Serbia and Montenegro | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 5. | 16 June 2006 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Serbia and Montenegro | 3–0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 6. | 24 June 2006 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany | Mexico | 2–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 7. | 22 August 2007 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | Norway | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 8. | 4 June 2008 | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, USA | Mexico | 3–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 9. | 19 November 2008 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10. | 28 March 2009 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Venezuela | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 11. | 24 May 2010 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Canada | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 12. | 24 May 2010 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Canada | 2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| Club | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cup | International Club Competition |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2011–12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| 2010–11 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 10 | |
| 2009–10 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 62 | 15 | |
| 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 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 4 | |
| 2002–03 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| Total | 111 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 26 | |
| Newell's Old Boys | 2001–2002 | 33 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 15 |
| 2000–2001 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | |
| 1999–2000 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 57 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 20 | |
| Career Totals | 340 | 91 | 11 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 375 | 103 | |
In 2009, Rodríguez appeared in a music video for Coti, starring alongside Atlético teammate Diego Forlán.[19]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fernando Torres |
Atlético Madrid Captain 2007–2009 |
Succeeded by Antonio López |
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