Rodrigo Soares da Costa (born 16 August 1993), better known simply as Rodrigo, is a Brazilian beach soccer player who plays as a forward. He won the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup representing Brazil and claimed the Silver Shoe (second highest scorer) award at the competition; he has also appeared at three other World Cups (2015, 2019, 2021).[1] Rodrigo now sits inside the top ten of Brazil's all-time top scorers.[2]
![]() Rodrigo at the 2019 South American Beach Games. | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Rodrigo Soares da Costa | ||
Date of birth | 16 August 1993 | ||
Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
International career‡ | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014– | Brazil | 120 | (170) |
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 January 2024 |
Rodrigo is considered one of the world's top players, as recognised at multiple Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremonies.
Career
editRodrigo grew up playing casual beach soccer on Copacabana beach. He joined his first competitive club, Botafogo, in 2011, aged 18. Three years later in 2014, aged 21, Rodrgio was called up to the Brazilian national team for the first time and was subsequently picked for the 2015 World Cup squad.[3]
He particularly came to prominence in 2016, aged 23, when he won MVP awards in the Russian Superleague and Euro Winners Cup, and won the Rising Star commendation at the Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremony.[3] The next year, he inspired Brazil to their 2017 World Cup victory in the Bahamas, winning the Silver Shoe (second highest scorer) award with nine goals.[4]
In 2017, Rodrigo also joined top Russian club, Kristall. As of 2023, he has scored 251 goals in 176 games for the club in all competitions.[5]
He cemented his place as one of the world's best players when he was named as one of the world's top three players and part of the team of the year at the 2019 Beach Soccer Stars ceremony.[3] At the 2021 World Cup, Rodrigo made his 100th appearance for Brazil in the group stage loss to Switzerland.[6]
Statistics
editNote: Some of the sources of these statistics may have counted an appearance when the player was actually an unused substitute.
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Honours
editAs of 2023.
The following is a selection, not an exhaustive list, of the major honours Rodrigo has achieved:[1][3]
Countryedit
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Clubedit
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Individual
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References
edit- ^ a b RODRIGO. CBSB. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Top scorers. CBSB. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d “With beach soccer I can show the kids of the favela that it is possible to follow a good path in life”. Beach Soccer Worldwide. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Brazil crowned world champions in The Bahamas. Beach Soccer Worldwide. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ RODRIGO SUAREZ DA COSTA. BSC Kristall. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Rodrigo completa 100 jogos pela seleção". CBSB - Confederação de Beach Soccer do Brasil (in Portuguese). 20 August 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
External links
edit- Rodrigo da Costa, profile at Beach Soccer Worldwide