 Rodriguez withSwitzerland at the2018 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Iván Rodriguez Araya[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1992-08-25)25 August 1992 (age 33)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Zürich, Switzerland | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Betis | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | FC Schwamendingen | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2010 | Zürich | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Zürich | 35 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | VfL Wolfsburg | 149 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | AC Milan | 74 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | →PSV (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Torino | 120 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Betis | 25 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Switzerland U17 | 5 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Switzerland U18 | 10 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Switzerland U19 | 15 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Switzerland U23 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011– | Switzerland | 135 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:03, 2 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:59, 18 November 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Ricardo Iván Rodriguez Araya (born 25 August 1992) is a Swiss professionalfootballer who plays as aleft-back forLa Liga clubReal Betis andSwitzerland national team.
Rodriguez began his professional career at local clubFC Zürich in 2010, having spent eight years in the youth setup. After breaking through into the first team at Zürich, he was sold toVfL Wolfsburg in January 2012 for £7.5 million.[2] Rodriguez played 184 games across all competitions for Wolfsburg, scoring 22 goals and winning theDFB-Pokal andDFL-Supercup in 2015. In 2017, he signed forAC Milan, where he played for three seasons. He was also loaned to Dutch sidePSV before joining fellow Italian clubTorino in 2020. After his four-year stint at Torino, he joined Real Betis in 2024, guiding them to reach their firstEuropean final in the club's history.
Rodriguez has earned caps at every level of the Swiss national team setup, winning theFIFA U17 World Cup in2009. A full international for Switzerland since 2011, Rodriguez has earned over 130 caps for the country. He was part of the Swiss team at the2012 Olympics, and also represented the senior side at theFIFA World Cup in2014,2018 and2022, and theUEFA European Championship in2016,2020 and2024. In 2014, he was votedSwiss Footballer of the Year.[3]
Born to aGalician father and aChilean mother of Spanish(Basque) descent, Rodriguez began playing football at the highly regarded youth club FC Schwamendingen in 2001 before joining the youth setup ofFC Zürich as an 11-year-old in 2002.[4] He was promoted to the senior squad in 2009 at age 16, making the bench for Zürich's 2–3 defeat toNK Maribor in the first leg of theirthird qualifying round Champions League tie on 29 July 2009.[4][5]
He made his Zürich debut as a 17-year-old in the 25th round of theSwiss Super League on 21 March 2010, replacing the injuredHannu Tihinen in the first half of the 2–0 win overBellinzona.[6] His full debut came in theZürich Derby againstGrasshoppers on 5 April, playing the entire 3–2 win for the hosts.[7]
He made only his second start in the first match of theSwiss Super League season on 20 July 2010, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–3 defeat torivalsFC Basel.[8] On 28 April 2011, he scored his first professional goal for the club, opening the scoring for the hosts as they ran out 3–0 winners overNeuchâtel Xamax at theLetzigrund.[9]
Rodriguez made hisEuropean debut in the first-leg of theirthird qualifying round tie againstStandard Liège on 27 July 2011.[10][11] He played the entire match and provided the cross for fellow Zürich youth team graduateAdmir Mehmedi as the Swiss secured a 1–1 draw at theStade Maurice Dufrasne in Belgium.[12] In the second leg, Rodriguez missed from an open goal from close range but Zürich won 1–0 to earn a spot in the play-off round againstBayern Munich.[13] He played the entirety of bothplay-off matches against Bayern,[14][15] but the Swiss side fell 0–3 on aggregate and dropped into theEuropa League.[16]
On 26 October 2011, Rodriguez scored his second goal for the club, netting his side's second from the penalty spot, in a 2–0 win overFC Thun.[17] The club's finalSuper League match before the winter break on 10 December 2011, turned out to be Rodriguez's last in a Zürich shirt, playing the entire 1–1 draw withFC Sion.[18] On 11 January 2012, Zürich officials announced that the club had accepted a bid for Rodriguez by German sideVfL Wolfsburg and that he was on the verge of completing the transfer, subject to a medical.[19] Despite being sold midway through the season, Rodriguez was voted as the Fans' Player of the Season on 4 June 2012, ahead ofOliver Buff andPedro Henrique.[20]
VfL Wolfsburg purchased Rodriguez as a 19-year-old on 13 January 2012 for £7.5 million with the player signing a four-and-a-half-year deal.[21][22] He quickly asserted himself into the first-team lineup, making his Bundesliga debut the next day against1. FC Köln, a 1–0 victory for the Wolves.[23] Rodriguez went on to play every game of the season from that point on without being substituted, becoming a favorite on the left of the defense for managerFelix Magath.[4]
Through the first ten league games of the following campaign, Rodriguez was once again an ever-present in the squad, featuring in all the outings, starting eight.[24] But Magath was sacked after a poor run of form in the league and whenLorenz-Günther Köstner was installed as interim manager, the more experiencedMarcel Schäfer was preferred at left back.[4] OnceDieter Hecking was appointed manager though, Rodriguez won his place back in the first team.[4]
On 9 November 2013, he scored his first goal for Wolfsburg, from a directfree kick in a home Bundesliga match againstBorussia Dortmund.[25] The match ended in a 2–1 win for Wolfsburg, although they were losing at half-time.[26] His second goal for Wolfsburg came from thepenalty spot againstHamburg on 29 November, earning his side a 1–1 draw.[27] He opened the scoring in their Bundesliga match on 14 December, curling the ball past keeperSven Ulreich, as Wolfsburg won 3–1.[28]
He finished the 2013–14 season with five league goals, in addition to nine assists.[21][29] He failed to make it into theBundesliga Team of the Season, but was included in a list of the Best Defenders for the 2013–14 campaign.[30] Rodriguez's nine assists also meant that he created more goals than any other full-back in Europe.[31] His impressive displays during the season included 2.3 key passes per game, the same number asAndrea Pirlo, the two-time reigningSerie A Footballer of the Year, and 2.6 successful dribbles per game, more thanCristiano Ronaldo, the reigningBallon d'Or winner.[32]
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He scored his first ever goal inEuropean football for Wolfsburg on 18 September 2014, netting directly from a free-kick after having previously scored an own-goal in a 4–1 defeat toEnglish sideEverton.[33] Three days later, Rodriguez scored twice more for Wolfsburg, once from the penalty spot and a volley from aKevin De Bruyne corner, as Wolfsburg defeatedBayer Leverkusen 4–1.[34] He scored his thirdleague goal of the season againstWerder Bremen on 27 September, converting a De Bruyne cross to put Wolfsburg up 1–0 in an eventual 2–1 victory.[35]
In October 2014, Rodriguez was ruled out for a number of weeks with a troubled patella tendon and thigh.[36] On 31 October, his agent, Roger Wittman, confirmed that Rodriguez and Wolfsburg had opened contract talks to extend his current deal beyond 2016.[37] Rodriguez scored twice in Wolfsburg's 3–0 win away toLille on 11 December, a result which advanced his side into the Europa League knockout stage instead of their opponents.[38] In January 2015, he signed a new contract up to June 2019.[39] He scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot on 7 April, as Wolfsburg defeatedSC Freiburg to reach the semi-finals of theDFB-Pokal, also making a goalline clearance later on.[40] Inthe final on 30 May, he played the full 90 minutes as Wolfsburg won their first cup, defeatingBorussia Dortmund 3–1.[41]
Rodriguez played the full 90 minutes of Wolfsburg's victory over Bayern Munich in the2015 DFL-Supercup on 1 August, scoring their first attempt in thepenalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.[42]
On 28 August 2015, he managed to score his first goal of the season against from the spot. He also assistedTim Klose's goal later in that match as Wolfsburg beatSchalke 3–0.[43] He scored another penalty in a 2–1 loss againstBorussia Dortmund on 5 December.[44]
On 6 April 2016, as Wolfsburg hostedReal Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the2015–16 UEFA Champions League, Rodriguez scored a penalty to open a surprise 2–0 victory. By sendingKeylor Navas the wrong way, he was the first player to score against Real's goalkeeper in the tournament for 738 minutes.[45]
On 20 August 2016, Rodriguez played his first game of the season in a 2–1 win overFSV Frankfurt inDFB-Pokal.[46] He also played Wolfsburg's opening Bundesliga match of the season, in which he scored a freekick in a 2–0 win overAugsburg.[47]
In January 2017, Rodriguez was a target forInter Milan and agreed to a move, but the Italian club refused to pay a fee high enough to trigger his release clause of £18.5 million.[48]
On 8 June 2017, it was announced that Rodriguez joinedSerie A clubAC Milan on a four-year deal.[49] The fee was reported as €15 million plus €2 million in bonuses.[50] He chose the number 68 shirt, after the year his mother was born.[51]
He played his first official match for Milan and managed to score his first goal, a free kick, to win the first leg of Milan's Europa League qualification match againstCS U Craiova on 27 July.[52] He also played in the second leg the following week and assistedPatrick Cutrone's goal from the set piece as Milan beat their opponent 2–0.[53] Rodriguez made his Serie A debut in a 3–0 home victory againstCrotone on 21 August,[54] and his first league goal came from a penalty kick in a 2–0 win againstSPAL at theSan Siro on 20 September.[55] On 15 October in theDerby della Madonnina, he gave away a late penalty from whichMauro Icardi completed his hat-trick to win the game 3–2 for Inter. Since then, whilst being a regular for Milan, he has not reached the heights that were expected of him, with Milan failing repeatedly to reach the Champions League. Most recently they failed in 2019 when Atalanta qualified for the first time at their expense.[56]
On 30 January 2020, he was loaned to Dutch clubPSV until the end of the 2019–20 season.[57]
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On 19 August 2020, Rodriguez signed withTorino on a 4-year deal.[58]
Rodriguez left the club on 1 July 2024 when his contract expired.[59] In his four years with the club, he made 129 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal.[59]
On 6 August 2024,La Liga clubBetis announced the signing of Rodriguez, contract until 30 June 2026.[60]
%2c_Ricardo_Rodriguez_(R)_-_Switzerland_vs._Argentina%2c_29th_February_2012.jpg)
In 2009, he was part of theSwiss U17 team who won the2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[61] His first goal of the tournament came in Switzerland's secondgroup game againstJapan on 27 October 2009, netting the winning goal as the match ended 4–3.[62] He opened the scoring for the Swiss in the 35th minute againstGermany in the Round of 16 as Switzerland eventually won 4–3 inadded extra time.[63] In thesemi-finals againstColombia, he scored Switzerland's final goal of their 4–0 win to reach their first final of aFIFA competition since a 3–0 loss toUruguay in the1924 Olympics.[64] He played the entire final againstNigeria on 15 November, helping Switzerland to a 1–0 victory to become just the third European nation to lift the trophy.[65]
Rodriguez made his debut for theSwiss senior national team in aEuro 2012qualifying match againstWales on 7 October 2011, replacingXherdan Shaqiri in the second half of the 0–2 loss.[66][67][68] In his full debt four days later, Rodriguez played the entire match as the Swiss defeatedMontenegro 2–0 to end their qualification campaign on a high, despite missing out on a playoff spot to the Balkan side.[69][70] In afriendly match against theNetherlands on 11 November 2011, he played the entire match as the Swiss kept a clean sheet inAmsterdam.[71]
He played all three matches for Switzerland at the2012 Olympics, in which they were eliminated in the group stage.[72]
Rodriguez featured in nine of tenWorld Cup qualifying matches for the Swiss, totaling 810 minutes,[73] as they qualified for the World Cup with a game to spare, thanks to a 2–1 win overAlbania on 11 October 2013.[74][75] On 13 May 2014, Rodriguez was named in Switzerland's squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[76] In their opening group game againstEcuador on 15 June, he took the corner which was headed byAdmir Mehmedi for the equaliser, as well as crossing forHaris Seferovic to score the winner in a 2–1 victory.[77] During the tournament finals in Brazil, he averaged 5 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per game, earning plaudits for his strong tackling as well as his ability to read the game.[21]
AtUEFA Euro 2016 in France, Rodriguez played every minute as Switzerland reached the last 16. They were eliminated on penalties byPoland inSaint-Étienne, although Rodriguez scored his attempt.[78]
On 8 October 2016, he scored his first international goal on his 43rd cap, putting the Swiss into the lead in a2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying win overHungary at theGroupama Arena.[79] He netted another penalty on 3 September 2017 to conclude a 3–0 away win overLatvia.[80] The Swiss finished second in their group behindPortugal, qualifying for the play-offs where they facedNorthern Ireland. Rodriguez scored the only goal of the tie in the first leg atWindsor Park inBelfast, when a penalty was controversially awarded againstCorry Evans.[81] In the second leg in Basel, he made a goalline clearance from aJonny Evans header to ensure the Swiss victory.[82]
He was included in Switzerland's 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[83] He started at left-back in all three of the team'sGroup E matches, as well as theround of 16 loss toSweden.[84]
In May 2019, he played for2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. In the first match he scored a penalty againstPortugal, but it did not help the team win,Switzerland lost 3–1.[85] Four days later, Rodriguez played 87 minutes in the third-place play-off, as Swiss drew 0–0 withEngland and lost 6–5 in the penalty shootout.[86]
In June 2021, Rodriguez was included in the 26-man Swiss squad for the postponedUEFA Euro 2020,[87] where he started in all five matches for theNati.[84] On 28 June 2021, in the round of 16 match againstFrance, Rodriguez had a 55th minute penalty kick saved byHugo Lloris.[88] The game ended in a 3–3 draw, with Switzerland winning the penalty shootout 5–4 to qualify for the quarter-finals,[88] where they lost toSpain.[89]
On 27 September 2022, Rodriguez played his 100th match for Switzerland in theNations League game againstCzech Republic.[90]
Rodriguez was a member of the Swiss squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, playing in all four of the team's matches as they reached theround of 16, losing 6–1 to Portugal.[84][91]
On 15 June 2024, Rodriguez started in Switzerland's opening match ofUEFA Euro 2024, where they beat Hungary 3–1.[92] This was his 22nd appearance at a major international tournament, setting a new record for the Swiss national team.[93]
Due to his wide range of skills, Rodriguez is known for being equally adept at defending as he is going forward.[94] Although usually a left-back, his size and physique have also seen him be deployed as acentre-back on occasion.[94] Experts consider him an accomplisheddefender and note his strong heading ability, as well as his personality.[4] He is also considered a continual attacking threat, and has been noted by analysts for his exceptional stamina and pace, which allow for his constant, buccaneering runs up the wing;[4][31][21] he has also drawn praise from pundits for rarely conceding careless fouls.[94] Conversely, he has been criticised for giving too much room to opposition attackers, taking up poor positioning and lacking in defensive discipline,[21] while other analysts have criticised his concentration.[95]
Possessing good technique and distribution, he has become known for his pinpoint crossing and accurate left foot, which have earned him comparisons withEverton andEngland left backLeighton Baines.[66][31][96][94] He is also noted for his speciality in dead ball situations, such as corner kicks, direct free kicks, and indirect free kicks, as well as for his excellent penalty taking abilities, emerging as Wolfsburg's first-choice penalty taker during the2013–14 season.[61][21][94] In 2014, his managerDieter Hecking praised Rodriguez as "the best left-back in the Bundesliga".[37]
Rodriguez was born inZürich to a Spanish father and a Chilean mother.[61] His mother, Marcela Araya, died of cancer in 2015. Rodriguez had the number 68, the year of her birth, tattooed on his back, and chose it as his shirt number at AC Milan.[97] Rodriguez was born with adiaphragmatic hernia, meaning that his stomach, spleen, liver and intestine had migrated into the chest. Rodriguez was given a 50% chance of survival and was monitored every six months for the first three years of his life.[97] He is the younger brother ofmidfielderRoberto Rodríguez and the older brother of midfielderFrancisco Rodríguez.[21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zürich | 2009–10 | Swiss Super League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Swiss Super League | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | Swiss Super League | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | ||
| Total | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 46 | 2 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 34 | 5 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 38 | 7 | |||
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 26 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 9[b] | 3 | – | 39 | 10 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | ||
| Total | 149 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 184 | 22 | ||
| AC Milan | 2017–18 | Serie A | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9[b] | 3 | – | 47 | 4 | |
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 74 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 93 | 4 | ||
| PSV (loan) | 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | |||
| Torino | 2020–21 | Serie A | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 1 | |||
| Total | 120 | 1 | 9 | 0 | – | – | 129 | 1 | ||||
| Betis | 2024–25 | La Liga | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12[f] | 0 | – | 33 | 0 | |
| 2025–26 | La Liga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | – | 43 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 409 | 19 | 36 | 3 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 511 | 29 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2011 | 4 | 0 |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 135 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2016 | Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 3 September 2017 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia |  Latvia | 3–0 | 3–0 | |
| 3 | 9 November 2017 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 3 June 2018 | Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal, Spain |  Spain | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 8 June 2018 | Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano, Switzerland |  Japan | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 6 | 18 November 2018 | Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland |  Belgium | 1–2 | 5–2 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
| 7 | 5 June 2019 | Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal |  Portugal | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals |
| 8 | 8 September 2019 | Stade Tourbillon, Sion, Switzerland |  Gibraltar | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 9 | 30 May 2021 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland |  United States | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
VfL Wolfsburg
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Switzerland U17
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| People | |
