_2.jpg) Bentancur lining up forUruguay in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rodrigo Bentancur Colman[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1997-06-25)25 June 1997 (age 28)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Tottenham Hotspur | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2015 | Boca Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Boca Juniors | 51 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Juventus | 133 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Tottenham Hotspur | 95 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Uruguay U20 | 14 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Uruguay | 74 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:54, 23 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 02:30, 19 November 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rodrigo Bentancur Colman (born 25 June 1997) is a Uruguayan professionalfootballer who plays as acentral midfielder forPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur and theUruguay national team.
Bentancur started his career in the youth system of Argentine sideBoca Juniors in 2009. He was promoted to the senior squad in 2015, winning twoPrimera División titles and aCopa Argentina with the team. He was then signed by Italian clubJuventus in 2017, where he won three consecutiveSerie A titles, among other trophies. In January 2022, Bentancur joined English side Tottenham Hotspur, winning theUEFA Europa League three and a half seasons later.
At international level, Bentancur was a member of theUruguay U20 squad that won the2017 South American U-20 Championship. He made his senior debut for Uruguay in 2017, representing the side at theFIFA World Cup in2018 and2022, and theCopa América in2019,2021 and2024.
Bentancur was born on 25 June 1997 inNueva Helvecia, Colonia to Roberto Bentancur and Mary Colmán. He has a younger brother, Damián, and was nicknamedLolo growing up as Damián couldn't pronounce Rodrigo as a child. Bentancur is ofIrish,Spanish, andSwiss descent.[2]
When Bentancur was four years of age, his mother died of an undisclosed illness. Thereafter, he wore the number 30 shirt in her honour; an homage of her birthday. Roberto eventually remarried to Cecilia Agredi, anArgentine ofItalian descent. Together, the two bore female twins, Cande and Mica, Rodrigo and Damián's half-sisters.[3]
Passionate about football since childhood, Bentancur eventually enrolled inBoca Juniors youth academy in 2009 after Horacio Anselmi, a longtime representative for the club, scouted him.[4]
On 12 April 2015, he made his first team debut for the Boca Juniors in a league game againstNueva Chicago. He replacedPablo Pérez after 77 minutes in a 0–0 home draw.[5] His stint at Boca is mainly remembered[6] for his significant mistake againstSan Lorenzo, when he passed the ball to a rival forward (Mauro Matos) who then easily scored a last-minute victory goal that put his team at the top of the league, above Boca (in spite of this, they ended up winning the2015 Argentine Primera División).[7] He would make a similar mistake some years later, this time playing for Juventus, with a back-pass blunder inside his own penalty area which put his team one nil down in the first seconds of the game, in the2020–21 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 (they ended up being eliminated due to the away goals rule).[8]
On 13 July 2015, Bentancur,Guido Vadalá,Franco Cristaldo andAdrián Cubas became part ofCarlos Tevez's deal, which sawJuventus have the first option to sign the youngsters until 20 April 2017, with Vadalá also joining Juventus on loan for the 2015–2017 seasons. Bentancur was tagged for €9.4 million.[9] Juventus's CEOGiuseppe Marotta later confirmed that Juventus would be exercising their option to sign Bentancur in 2017.[10] He arrived in Turin on 3 April 2017[citation needed] and completed his medical on the same day.[11] On 21 April 2017 Juventus completed their acquisition of Bentancur, signing him on a five-year deal effective from 1 July 2017 until 30 June 2022 for a €9.5 million transfer fee, plus additional performance based bonuses. Boca Juniors are also entitled to 50% of any future transfer fee that Juventus receive for Bentancur.[12] Bentancur subsequently returned to Argentina to play out the remainder of the 2016–17 season with Boca Juniors.[13]
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Bentancur formally became a player of Juventus on 1 July 2017, after the club activated the option to sign him in April 2017, in a deal which would keep him at the club until 2022. The first option to sign Bentancur was bought as part ofCarlos Tevez's deal in July 2015.[14][15] He made his club debut on 26 August 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 4–2 away win overGenoa inSerie A.[16][17] On 6 October 2018, Bentancur scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 away win overUdinese inSerie A.[18] During his time with the club, Italian newspapers nicknamed him asPrincipe.
On 31 January 2022, Bentancur joinedPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee.[19][20] Bentancur made his debut for Spurs on 5 February in theFA Cup match againstBrighton & Hove Albion, coming on a substitute in match that finished in a 3–1 win.[21] He made his Premier League debut nine days later, coming on as a substitute forPierre-Emile Højbjerg in a 2–3 loss againstSouthampton.[22]
On 18 September 2022, Bentancur scored his first goal for the club in aPremier League game againstLeicester City, the third goal in a 6–2 victory at theTottenham Hotspur Stadium.[23] Later on in the season, Bentancur scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal in a group stage match – an equaliser againstSporting CP. The match ended 1–1. He continued his goal-scoring form in Spurs' league fixture three days later, coming off the bench to score an injury-time winner againstAFC Bournemouth, completing a 3–2 comeback after they had gone 2–0 down.[24] Two weeks later he registered his first brace in the Premier League, with two late goals against Leeds United to secure a 4–3 victory for Spurs.[25]
On 11 February 2023, Bentancur suffered ananterior cruciate ligament injury during a match againstLeicester City, which would rule him out of the team for the rest of the season.[26]
Bentancur eventually made his return on 27 October 2023, coming off the bench late in a 1–2 away win againstCrystal Palace in game week 10. However, just a month after his return, on 26 November during a 1–2 defeat againstAston Villa, Bentancur tore his ankle ligaments.[27][28] Despite being ruled out for 8 to 10 weeks, Bentancur returned against Bournemouth on 31 December 2023, a little over four weeks later. Bentancur captained the side for the first time in a 1–0FA Cup win overBurnley on 5 January 2024 and he scored his first goal since his return from injury on 15 January 2024, Tottenham's second equaliser in a 2–2 draw away toManchester United.[29] In November 2024, he received a seven-game suspension and imposed with a fine of £100,000 by theEnglish FA for allegedly making a racist comment toward his teammateSon Heung-min.[30][31]
On 21 May 2025, he was a member of the Tottenham Hotspur squad that won the UEFA Europa League for the third time in the club's history, defeating Manchester United in the 2025 final.[32]
On 3 October 2025, Bentancur signed a new long-term contract with Tottenham Hotspur.[33]
Bentancur was a member ofUruguay national under-20 team, winning the2017 South American U-20 Championship[34] and finishing fourth at the2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[35]
In September 2017, Bentancur received his first senior call-up to theUruguay national team by managerÓscar Tabárez for the team's upcoming2018 World Cup qualifiers againstVenezuela andBolivia in October.[36] He made his international debut on 5 October, coming on as a substitute in Uruguay's 0–0 away draw against Venezuela.[37][38] He was named in the squad for theChina Cup in March 2018.[39]
In May 2018, Bentancur was named in Uruguay's provisional 26-mansquad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[40] He was later included in the team's final 23-man squad for the tournament.[41] He appeared in Uruguay's opening match of the tournament on 15 June, a 1–0 victory overEgypt at theYekaterinburg Arena.[42] In the Round of 16 match againstPortugal on 30 June, he set-upEdinson Cavani's second goal in an eventual 2–1 victory.[43] Uruguay were eliminated from the tournament following a 2–0 defeat to eventual championsFrance in the quarter-finals on 6 July.[44]
Bentancur was a member of Uruguay's squads for both the 2019 and 2021Copas Américas.[45] The team reached the quarter-finals on both occasions, being eliminated byPeru andColombia respectively, both inpenalty shootouts.[46][47]
On 2 February 2022, Bentancur scored his first goal for Uruguay in a 4–1 win over Venezuela in a2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[34]
In November of the same year, he was named in thefinal squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup held inQatar. He started all threeGroup H matches forLa Celeste but was substituted with an injury in the final fixture againstGhana.[34] Uruguay won the match 2–0 but were eliminated asSouth Korea beatPortugal to go through to the round of 16 at Uruguay's expense.[48]
A dynamic, hard-working, skilful, elegant, and tactically versatile midfielder, who is comfortable using either foot, Bentancur has been described as a tall and "physically strong" player, who is capable of playing in any midfield position, including as adefensive midfielder, as acentral midfielder, as awinger on either flank, in abox-to-box role, or even as amezzala, or as anattacking midfielder behind the forward, due to his ability to make attacking runs from behind.[14][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]
He also possesses good close control, technique, and quick footwork, which enable him to get past opponents when in possession, while his vision, intelligence, personality, and incisive passing also allow him to set the tempo of his team's play in a morecreative role as aregista deep in midfield, and create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates after winning back the ball.[49][50][51][52][57][58][59] His height and strong frame also enable him to act as a"target man" in an advanced midfield role;[51] he has even played as asecond striker on occasion.[60]
Although his acceleration is not particularly impressive, he is also a mobile player, who is capable of pressing opponents further up the pitch. Moreover, he has also drawn praise in the media for his composure and quick-thinking both with and without the ball.[51][52] Due to his precociousness, talent, maturity, and wide range of skills, he is considered to be a highly promising young player in the media.[51][52]
Bentancur is currently in a long-term relationship with Melany La Banca, an Argentine-Uruguayan fromQuilmes, since 2015.[61] They have a daughter.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boca Juniors | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | – | 66 | 1 | ||||
| Juventus | 2017–18 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 7[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Total | 133 | 2 | 13 | 1 | — | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 181 | 3 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2021–22 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 1 | — | 26 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13[f] | 0 | — | 44 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 95 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 131 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 279 | 12 | 27 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 378 | 14 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 74 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 February 2022 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Venezuela | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 27 June 2024 | MetLife Stadium,East Rutherford, United States |  Bolivia | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2024 Copa América |
| 3 | 13 July 2024 | Bank of America Stadium,Charlotte, United States |  Canada | 1–0 | 2–2(4–3p) | 2024 Copa América |
Boca Juniors[62]
Juventus[62]
Tottenham Hotspur
Uruguay U20
Uruguay
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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