Maximiliano Rubén Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈmaksiroˈðɾiɣes]; born 2 January 1981), is an Argentine former professionalfootballer. NicknamedLa Fiera (The Beast in English),[4] he was commonly used as awinger on both flanks but could also operate as anattacking midfielder.[5][6]
He arrived in Spain aged 21, and went on to spend the bulk of his career there, appearing forEspanyol andAtlético Madrid and amassingLa Liga totals of 232 matches and 58 goals over eight seasons. He also played two years withLiverpool in England, and began and ended his career atNewell's Old Boys.
In March 2002, Rodríguez agreed to a four-year deal with the option of a fifth atRCD Espanyol inLa Liga.[8] The transfer was frozen in May – after the player's presentation – by a court in Argentina who alleged irregularities in the actions of Newell's president Eduardo López;[9] on 26 June the deal was concluded, for a €5 million fee in three instalments and with abuyout clause of €24 million.[10] He made his debut on 2 September by featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 loss away toReal Madrid, and scored his first goal on 27 October to decide a 4–3 comeback atMálaga CF in his team's first away victory for over a year.[11]
On 13 January 2010, Rodríguez completed afree transfer to Liverpool, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal; after securing his signature,Rafael Benítez described him as "comfortable on the ball, can pass and keep possession. He is good at getting into the box and scoring goals and a good finisher",[22] and the player was given the number 17 shirt,[23] making his debut for the club as a second-halfsubstitute in aPremier League match againstStoke City on the 16th.[24] His first full start came a week and a half later, in a 0–0 away draw toWolverhampton Wanderers.[25]
Rodríguez picked up two leagueassists in his first games, both of which were for former Atlético teammate Torres. He scored his first competitive goal in a 4–0 win overBurnley atTurf Moor on 25 April 2010, playing the full 90 minutes.[26]
2010–11 was a good individual season for Rodríguez, who netted ten league goals for the team, including hat-tricks againstBirmingham City (5–0 home victory)[27] andFulham (5–2 atCraven Cottage). In the latter match, he scored twice in the opening seven minutes – the first being just after 32 seconds – and completed his exhibition with a 25-yard strike.[28]
On 8 July 2011, Rodríguez switched his jersey number to 11,[29] and he scored two goals in a pre-seasonfriendly withMalaysia shortly after, which finished with a 6–3 win.[30] On 24 August, he was given his first start ofthe season in aLeague Cuptie againstExeter City, and netted the second in an eventual 3–1 away victory.[31]
On 20 November 2011, Rodríguez scored againstChelsea following a build-up with teammateCraig Bellamy, with Liverpool winning it 2–1 atStamford Bridge.[32] Nine days later, against the same opponent, in the same venue and again with the decisive pass being made by the Welshman, he found the net in a 2–0 League Cup win,[33] and his team went on to win the latter competition.[34]
On 26 December 2011, Rodríguez scored just his second league goal of the season in a 1–1 draw atAnfield againstBlackburn Rovers.[35] He netted his last two on 10 April 2012, for a 3–2 away defeat of the same adversary.[36]
On 13 July 2012, after 73 official games and 17 goals scored, Rodríguez left Liverpool and returned to his first professional club Newell's Old Boys.[37] He wrote an open letter to the Reds fans before his departure, thanking them for their support in his two-and-a-half-year stint.[38]
Rodríguez played his first match for the club since leaving on 5 August 2012, in a 0–0 draw againstClub Atlético Independiente. According to him, football in his country was now "worse than ten years ago".[39] In June 2013, he helped the team win theTorneo Final, being awarded theAlumni by directors and former directors ofArgentinian football late in the year.[40]
In July 2017, the 36-year-old Rodríguez moved to Uruguayan clubPeñarol.[41] After winningthe league in both of his seasons inMontevideo, he returned to Newell's on an 18-month contract in the last days of 2018.[42]
On 27 November 2021, Rodríguez confirmed his retirement at the age of 40, having been substituted to a standing ovation at home toClub Atlético Banfield in his final match.[43] The following January, however, he joined Hughes Foot Ball Club in the Liga Venadense de Fútbol (a regional football league inSanta Fe Province) along with his childhood friend and Newell's teammateIgnacio Scocco, president of said club.[44]
Rodríguez was given a farewell match at theEstadio Marcelo Bielsa on 24 June 2023, which pitted historic players of Newell's Old Boys against their counterparts of the Argentina national team, such as captainLionel Messi who was celebrating his 36th birthday. He scored for both sides as the latter won 7–5, and both his daughters, Alma and Aitana, did the same once each in the second half.[45]
Rodríguez (furthest left) in action againstGermany at the 2010 World Cup
After Argentina lost the quarter-final game againstGermany on 30 June 2006, Rodríguez punched opponentBastian Schweinsteiger in the back.FIFA fined himCHF5,000 and suspended him from two matches in the2007 Copa América for violent conduct.[51] However, after a serious knee injury in a friendly withSpain in October 2006, he missed the continental competition as national team managerAlfio Basile, whom initially intended to select the player, eventually rested him for precaution.[52]
Rodríguez scored inDiego Maradona's first game in charge of Argentina, a 1–0 friendly win inScotland.[53] On 19 May 2010 he was named in the squad of 23 for the2010 World Cup in South Africa[54] and, in the last home game before the finals five days later, scored twice againstCanada, netting from afree kick from a sharp angle and after receiving a pass fromCarlos Tevez in an eventual 5–0 rout.[55]
Rodríguez was raised by his mother Claudia in his grandparents' home and never met his father.[59] He is the cousin of fellow footballersAlexis Rodríguez andDenis Rodríguez, and all three played for Newell's at the same time.[60][61]
^Guasch, Tomás (28 October 2002)."La gran remontada de Iván y Tamudo" [Iván and Tamudo's great comeback].Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved13 June 2023.
^Juárez, Mari Carmen (8 November 2004)."Espanyol fulminante" [Overwhelming Espanyol].Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved10 July 2014.
^"En busca del gol perdido" [In search of the lost goal] (in Spanish). Fuerza Perica. 10 March 2016. Archived fromthe original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved14 March 2016.
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