Table of Contents
- Santiago Rodriguez played for New York City FC from 2021 to 2024
- New York City FC sold the Uruguayan midfielder this year to Brazilian club Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
- He is the second-highest player in New York FC’s history to fetch a high transfer fee
Santiago Rodriguez has an amazing history with New York City FC in the Major League Soccer (MLS). He is one player who left a mark of greatness in MLS.
New York City FC sold the Uruguayan midfielder this year to Brazilian club Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas after having him for four years. He arrived at New York City FC on loan in 2021 from Montevideo City Torque where he had signed a four-year contract.
He is the second-highest player in New York FC’s history to fetch a high transfer fee. The club, while announcing his departure, said that Rodriguez was the best midfielder to ever wear NYC’s jersey.
Should the Brazilian side decide to sell him in future, New York FC will have ‘sell-on percentage.’
Who is Santiago Rodriguez?
Santiago Rodriguez is a 25-year-old professional football player from Uruguay. He was born on January 8, 2000. His passion for football started while he was still young.
His parents nurtured it by encouraging him to spend more time playing football in school and in junior tournaments. They pushed for his enrollment at the Nacional Football Academy. It’s from the academy that his whole international football career started.
Former New York City player Santiago Rodriguez. Photo/Transfermrkt
Here is a full profile of the Uruguayan footballer.
| Full Name | Santiago Mariano Rodríguez Molina |
| Nationality | Uruguyan |
| Age | 25 |
| Place of birth | Montevideo |
| Date of birth | January 8, 2000 |
| Height | 5 ft 6 |
| Career | Footballer |
Santiago Rodriguez Football Career
His football journey started at Nacional Football Academy. His first game for the club was in 2019, where he played in the Supercopa Uruguayan. Nacional won against Penarol.
His performance at Nacional impressed Montevideo City Torque, and they signed him in November 2020. His biggest breakthrough in his football career came in 2021 when New York City FC signed him on loan for one season from City Football Group (CFG) before signing him on a permanent contract in March 2023.
Rodriguez at New York City FC
The Uruguayan, according to his former club, New York City FC, will remain among the best footballers MLS has had over the years.
Former New York City FC player Santiago Rodriguez. Photo/RTI ESporte
He spent four seasons with NYC, making 144 appearances and a total of 34 goals. The 25-year-old also had 28 assists.
Santiago Rodriguez made a mark of stellar performance for New York in 2021 while on loan. He helped the club win its first MLS Cup that season. In 2022, he maintained his great performance, and he was named the club’s player of the month (September).
New York City FC Sporting Director David Lee said that many clubs expressed interest in Rodriguez following his success with the MLS club since 2021. Lee said that they didn’t want to let him go, but his wish was to open a new chapter in his football career playing for another club.
His absence from The Century Club, which owns New York City FC, can be felt according to Lee. Santiago Rodriguez struggled to win the MLS Cup and Campeneos Cup respectively for the American club.
Rodriguez’s best MLS moment was the 2023-2024 season, where he scored 16 goals from 40 appearances. Club records show he had the fastest goals scored in MLS history last season.
The Uruguayan states that New York City FC was his second home, and he loved how everyone treated him. Fan support also motivated him to do better in every match he played in.
