Marcos Rojo

Marcos Rojo

Rojo playing for Manchester United in 2015
Personal information
Full name Faustino Marcos Alberto Rojo[1]
Date of birth (1990-03-20) 20 March 1990
Place of birth La Plata, Argentina
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)[2]
Playing position Centre-back
Left-back
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 5
Youth career
2000–2008 Estudiantes LP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2008–2011 Estudiantes LP 43 (3)
2011–2012 Spartak Moscow 8 (0)
2012–2014 Sporting CP 49 (5)
2014– Manchester United 33 (0)
National team‡
2011– Argentina 37 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 April 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:19, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

Faustino Marcos Alberto Rojo known simply as Marcos Rojo ([ˈmaɾkos ˈroxo]; born 20 March 1990) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Manchester United and the Argentina national team as a defender.

He began his career at local club Estudiantes de La Plata, where he won the Copa Libertadores in 2009 and played in the Club World Cup Final later that year. After a short spell with Spartak Moscow he joined Sporting CP in 2012, and transferred to Manchester United for £16 million two years later.

Rojo made his first appearance for Argentina at senior level in 2011 and has since earned over 35 caps. He was part of their side which reached the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, and was the only Argentine included in the Castrol Performance Index Team of the Tournament.

Club career

Estudiantes LP

Rojo grew up in La Plata, Argentina and joined his local side Estudiantes de La Plata at the age of ten.[3]

In 2009, he was promoted to the club’s main team, after signing his first professional contract. He spent three years with the club, making 43 appearances and scoring three goals for the team.[4] He played in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final, coming on for extra time as Estudiantes lost 2–1 to FC Barcelona in Dubai.[5]

During his time at Estudiantes, Rojo won a Copa Libertadores and an Argentine Primera Division title. The defender spent most matches at left back and developed a reputation as a capable attacker, scoring his first goal in a 2–1 defeat against LDU Quito in the 2010 Recopa Sudamericana.

Spartak Moscow

Rojo playing for Spartak Moscow in March 2011.

In December 2010, Rojo signed a five-year contract with Spartak Moscow.[6] He scored his only goal for Spartak on 20 April 2011, netting the opening goal of a 2−1 defeat of Krasnodar in the quarter-finals of the Russian Cup.[7]

Sporting Lisbon

In July 2012, Rojo moved from Spartak Moscow to Sporting Lisbon for £3.5 million, signing a four-year contract.[8] Rojo made his league debut for Sporting on 19 August 2012, playing the entire match and receiving a yellow card in a 0−0 draw with Vitória.[9] He received his first red card for Sporting in a league match against FC Porto on 7 October 2012, picking up two cautions within three minutes, as Sporting fell to a 2−0 defeat.[10] He scored his first goal for Sporting on 28 April 2013, netting the winner against Nacional.[11] Rojo played mostly at centre-back in his first season in Portugal, occasionally at left-back, as the team had a comparatively bad season,[12] finishing 7th in the league.

In the second league match of the 2013–14 season, Rojo scored his first goal of the season, netting Sporting's second goal in their 4−0 win over Académica.[13] On 19 April 2014, Rojo was sent off in a Primeira Liga match against C.F. Os Belenenses, but Sporting held on for a 1−0 win.[14] In an improved season, he contributed six goals as Sporting finished as runners-up.[12]

On 13 August 2014, it was announced that Rojo was being disciplined by his club over his refusal to train after handing in a transfer request to force through a move to Manchester United.[15] Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho later alleged that third-party owners of Rojo who were not representatives of Manchester United had pressured his club into selling the player.[16]

Manchester United

On 19 August 2014, an agreement to sell Rojo for €20 million (£16 million) was announced by both Sporting and Manchester United.[17][18][19] The next day, United announced that they had signed him on a five-year contract, with Nani moving to Sporting on a season-long loan. Rojo stated that it was a 'dream' come true to play with Manchester United.[20]

Rojo missed three matches for United due to difficulties in gaining a work permit, because of pending criminal charges in Argentina, where he is alleged to have had an altercation with a neighbour in 2010.[21] On 4 September, he was granted a work permit by the UK Border Agency to work in England.[22] Ten days later he made his debut at Old Trafford as United won for the first time in the season, playing the entirety of the 4–0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.[23] Rojo was stretchered off in United's 1–0 defeat in the Manchester derby on 2 November, obtaining shoulder damage from a tackle on Manchester City's Martín Demichelis.[24] It was later confirmed that he had dislocated his shoulder, adding to United's defensive injuries alongside Jonny Evans and Phil Jones.[25] On 3 February 2015, Rojo scored his first goal for United, heading a ball played by Robin van Persie for the second goal of a 3–0 win over Cambridge United in an FA Cup fourth round replay.[26]

During Manchester United's 2015 pre-season tour of North America, Rojo was expected to join up with the rest of the squad following an extended break granted after competing for Argentina in the Copa America. However, passport issues reportedly caused Rojo to miss pre-season tour entirely, and the matter was said to have "angered" manager Louis van Gaal. Rojo was resultantly fined £140,000 for failing to join up with the rest of the squad on time, and Van Gaal offered Rojo to AS Monaco as part of a deal to bring Anthony Martial to Old Trafford, a deal stopped by Rojo's agent Jorge Mendes.[27]

International career

Rojo dribbling past Germany's Christoph Kramer in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final

Rojo was first capped on 9 February 2011 in a 2–1 friendly victory against Portugal at the Stade de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland.[28] Later that year he was included in Argentina's squad as they hosted the 2011 Copa América, and played the opening match on 2 July, a 1–1 draw against Bolivia.[29] Javier Zanetti replaced him at left back for the rest of the tournament as Argentina reached the quarter-finals.

In June 2014, Rojo was named in Argentina's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[30] He made his FIFA World Cup debut in their 2–1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Maracanã, playing the full match in defence.[31] In the team's third group match, Rojo scored his first international goal, the winner in a 3–2 victory against Nigeria.[32] The country reached the final before losing to Germany, and Rojo was the only Argentinean named in the Castrol Index Top 11 for the tournament.[33]

Rojo was selected by coach Gerardo Martino for the 2015 Copa América.[34] At the end of Argentina's goalless quarter-final against Colombia in Viña del Mar, Rojo missed in the penalty shootout but his team advanced nonetheless.[35] On 30 June, he opened the scoring in a 6–1 semi-final defeat of Paraguay which put Argentina into the final.[36] He played the entirety of the decisive match against the hosts at the Estadio Nacional de Chile, which Argentina lost on a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.[37]

Style of play

According to Four Four Two, Rojo was more comfortable at left-back rather than centre-back in his first season at Sporting, due to a number of positional errors and mistimed tackles; in his second season, his speed helped him in defence.[12] They also attributed a good aerial threat to him, while noting that disciplinary problems remained.[12]

In addition to his usual positions at centre-back and left-back, Rojo can play as a winger. On signing for Manchester United, it was theorised that he could feature as a wing-back in Louis van Gaal's preferred 3-5-2 formation.[3][38]

Personal life

Rojo is married to Eugenia Lusardo, a lingerie model based in Lisbon. They have a daughter.[3]

He has a number of tattoos, including the English words "Pride" and "Glory" on each thigh.[3]

In December 2014, Rojo had an affair with a woman he had met at a club. He accused her of blackmail and took out an injunction to stop newspapers publishing his name in the story. The injunction on his name was lifted in April 2015 due to concerns that other footballers could be suspected of the affair, but it remains in place to prevent the release of images of Rojo.[39]

Career statistics

Club

As of 9 April 2016.[40]
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
Division AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Estudiantes LP 2008–09 Primera División 6100—1[lower-alpha 3]0—71
2009–10 Primera División 18000—6[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]0250
2010–11 Primera División 19200—002[lower-alpha 6]1213
Total 43300—7031534
Spartak Moscow 2010 Russian Premier League 0021—5[lower-alpha 7]00071
2011–12 Russian Premier League 8010—1[lower-alpha 7]000100
Total 8031—6000171
Sporting CP 2012–13 Primeira Liga 24100207[lower-alpha 7]0—331
2013–14 Primeira Liga 2541021——285
Total 49510417000616
Manchester United 2014–15 Premier League 2203100——251
2015–16 Premier League 110101070—200
Total 33 0 4 1 1 0 7 0 — 45 1
Career total 133872512703117612
  1. ↑ Argentina – Copa Argentina; Russia – Russian Cup; Portugal – Taça de Portugal; England – FA Cup
  2. ↑ Portugal – Taça da Liga; England – League Cup
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in the Copa Libertadores.
  4. ↑ Five appearance in the Copa Libertadores, one appearance in the Copa Sudamericana.
  5. ↑ Appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup.
  6. ↑ Appearances in the Recopa Sudamericana.
  7. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in the UEFA Europa League.

International

As of match played 1 July 2015.[41]
Argentina national team
YearAppsGoals
201190
201250
201350
2014111
201571
Total372

Honours

Club

Estudiantes de La Plata

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil ™ - List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "PLAYER PROFILE". Premier League. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Pickup, Oliver (19 August 2014). "Marcos Rojo: 13 things you might not know about Manchester United transfer target". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.espnfc.com/player/129426/marcos-rojo, Marcos Rojo - Player Profile , ESPN FC
  5. ↑ "Estduiantes 1-2 Barcelona". FIFA. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Попов: с Рохо в России можно сравнить разве что Луковича. http://www.championat.com (in Russian). Championat. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2014. External link in |website= (help)
  7. ↑ "Spartak Moskva vs. Krasnodar 2-1". Soccerway. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Sporting Lisbon swoop for Spartak Moscow defender Marcos Rojo". Goal. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "VITÓRIA GUIMARÃES VS. SPORTING CP 0 - 0". Soccerway. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Porto vs. Sporting CP 2-0". Soccerway. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Sporting CP vs. CD Nacional 2-1". Soccerway. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Kundert, Tom (19 August 2014). "Everything you need to know about... Marcos Rojo". Four Four Two. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Académica vs. Sporting CP 0-4". Soccerway. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Belenenses vs. Sporting Club". Soccerway. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Manchester United try to resolve Marcos Rojo stand-off". BBC Sport. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "Manchester United: Sporting reveal Marcos Rojo sale 'pressure'". BBC Sport. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "Da venda de Marcos Rojo para o Man.Utd, 9M€ irão para a construção do nosso Pavilhão" [From the sale of Marcos Rojo to Man.Utd, €9M will go towards the construction of our Pavilion]. twitter.com (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "COMUNICADO" (PDF). cmvm.pt (in Portuguese). Portuguese Securities Market Commission. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "#mufc has reached agreement with Sporting Lisbon to sign defender Marcos Rojo, subject to a medical and personal terms.". twitter.com. Manchester United F.C. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  20. ↑ "Manchester United sign Marcos Rojo for £16m on five-year deal". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  21. ↑ Keegan, Mike (30 August 2014). "Marcos Rojo: Man United signing's debut held up by visa delay". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "Marcos Rojo granted work permit to play for Manchester United". ESPNFC. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "Man Utd 4-0 QPR". BBC Sport. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  24. ↑ McNulty, Phil (2 November 2014). "Man City 1-0 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  25. ↑ "Marcos Rojo: Manchester United defender dislocates shoulder". BBC Sport. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  26. ↑ Cryer, Andy (3 February 2015). "Man Utd 3-0 Cambridge". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  27. ↑ Hetherington, Paul (20 September 2015). "Exclusive: Marcos Rojo rescued his Man United career after botched Monaco move". Daily Star. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  28. ↑ Edwards, Daniel (9 February 2011). "Argentina 2-1 Portugal: Last-gasp Lionel Messi penalty secures entertaining victory after Cristiano Ronaldo equaliser". Goal.com. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  29. ↑ Gonzalez, Roger (2 July 2011). "Argentina 1-1 Bolivia: Kun Aguero saves Sergio Batista's men in Copa America opener". Goal.com. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  30. ↑ "Demichelis in Argentina squad as trio miss out". FIFA. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Argentina 2-1 Bos-Herce". BBC. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  32. ↑ "Nigeria 2-3 Argentina". BBC. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  33. ↑ "World Cup 2014: Castrol Index Top 11". FIFA.com. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Gerardo Martino confirmó la lista de 23 convocados y mantuvo a Casco para la Copa América" [Gerardo Martino confirmed list of 23 selected and kept Casco for the Copa América] (in Spanish). La Nación. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  35. ↑ "Argentina 0-0 Colombia". BBC Sport. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  36. ↑ Emons, Michael (1 July 2015). "Argentina 6-1 Paraguay". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  37. ↑ Dawkes, Phil (5 July 2015). "Chile 0-0 Argentina". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  38. ↑ Cutler, Teddy (20 August 2014). "Marcos Rojo profile: Who is the £16m Manchester United signing?". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  39. ↑ Dearden, Lizzie (6 April 2015). "Manchester United's Marcos Rojo named as footballer in sex scandal court case". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  40. ↑ Marcos Rojo profile at Soccerway
  41. ↑ Marcos Rojo at National-Football-Teams.com

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