Santiago Rodríguez (footballer)

Santiago Mariano Rodríguez Molina (born 8 January 2000) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Botafogo.

Club career

Rodríguez is a youth academy graduate of Nacional. He made his official debut for the club in a 2019 Supercopa Uruguaya win against Peñarol on 4 February 2019.

Montevideo City Torque

On 3 November 2020, Montevideo City Torque confirmed they had signed Rodríguez, with the midfielder remaining at Nacional for the rest of the year.

New York City FC

On 9 June 2021, New York City FC confirmed they had signed Rodríguez on loan, with the midfielder joining the Major League Soccer side through to December 2022. He made over 50 league appearances for the club over two seasons, helping the team advance to and eventually win the MLS Cup in 2021. In September 2022, he was named the club's player of the month.

Rodríguez returned to the club on a permanent contract in March 2023, ending months of uncertainty surrounding his future with the club. After returning to Torque, which had loaned Rodríguez to New York City FC, he was subject to interest from Brazilian club Bahia and stated that Major League Soccer needed to "become more important." However, Rodríguez would return to New York City FC as a Designated Player, signing a five-year deal with the club.

International career

In 2019, Rodríguez represented the Uruguay under-20 team at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In 2020, Rodríguez represented the Uruguay under-23 team at the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.