Hugo Rodrigues

Hugo Rodrigues
Personal information
Full name Hugo Rodrigues
Date of birth (1979-11-22) 22 November 1979
Place of birth Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal[1]
Height 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)[2][3]
Playing position Centre-back
Youth career
Feirense
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Paços de Brandão
Perosinho
Pedras Rubras
2003–2004 Yeovil Town 34 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Hugo Rodrigues (born 22 November 1979) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a centre-back.

Noted as one of the tallest footballers to play in the Football League, Rodrigues started his career with local club C.D. Feirense before playing in the Portuguese lower division sides Paços de Brandão and Perosinho and then Portuguese Second Division side Pedras Rubras. After a local agent suggested he should try English football he signed for Third Division side Yeovil Town in 2003. Despite being offered a new contract he retired from professional football at the age of 24 and returned to Portugal to complete his university studies.

Career

Rodrigues started his career as a youth player at Feirense, and as a 15-year old he attracted interest from FC Porto but was denied the move after Feirense demanded £30,000 for his services, something unheard of in Portuguese football at the time.[4] Having left Fierense, Rodrigues played lower league football in Portugal with Paços de Brandão and Perosinho,[5][6] before joining Portuguese Second Division side Pedras Rubras, a club which allowed him to play whilst simultaneously completing his economics degree.[7]

With Rodrigues wanting to play in England to help improve his English,[8] local agent Raul Sanha organised him a trial with newly promoted Football League Third Division side Yeovil Town.[4] Rodrigues signed for Yeovil, on 24 July 2003 following a successful trial on a one-year contract.[9][10] Rodrigues made his debut for Yeovil as the club's first substitute in the Football League on the opening day of the 2003–04 season against Rochdale, on 9 August 2003.[11] Rodrigues also received the club's first Football League yellow card in that same match.[7] Even prior to his Football League debut, Rodrigues had gained national media attention due to his height, and at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) was acclaimed as the tallest player in the Football League.[8] On 4 January 2004, Yeovil faced Liverpool in the FA Cup third round, with Liverpool leading 1–0 Rodrigues conceded a penalty after he was adjudged to have fouled winger Harry Kewell.[12] After the match Rodrigues claimed that Kewell admitted to "diving" to win the penalty, a claim that was later denied by Kewell.[13][14] On 1 May 2004, Rodrigues scored his first, and only, goal for Yeovil with a powerful header from a free-kick in a 2–1 defeat against Hull City.[15] Rodrigues ended the season with 38 appearances in all competitions for Yeovil,[16] as he helped the club finish eighth in their first season in the Football League, just missing out on the play-offs on goal difference[17]

Rodrigues was offered a new contract at the end of the season by Yeovil manager Gary Johnson, but after the departure of fellow Portuguese footballer Dani Rodrigues, and a team-mate of his at Feirense,[18] Johnson revealed that Rodrigues had rejected the offer of a new contract to return to his native Portugal.[19][20]

After leaving Yeovil, Rodrigues explained the reasons behind his departure that he "was missing my family so much" and that he "might have remained had Dani (Rodrigues) stayed on but went home and settled for playing part-time with [his] friends."[7]

Personal life

Born in Santa Maria da Feira he grew up in the village of Paços de Brandão, near Porto, where his parents ran their own business making and exporting wine corks.[7] Prior to joining Yeovil, Rodrigues had completed five years of a six year economics degree course at the Lusíada University of Porto.[4] Having retired from professional football after leaving Yeovil and completing his degree, Rodrigues worked in a bank dealing with cork companies who found themselves in financial difficulties.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Hugo Rodrigues". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Adam's Return To The Avenue Slightly Less Painful". Ciderspace, the Independent Yeovil Town FC Website. 25 July 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Hugo Rodrigues". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Burt, Jason (1 January 2004). "Football: Yeovil's Portuguese Colossus Ready for Role of Giant-Killer; FA Cup Countdown Glovers' 6ft 8in Defender Is Aiming to Add Liverpool's Name to the List of Somerset Club's Famous Scalps". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited.
  5. ↑ "Hugo Rodrigues, um gigante português em Inglaterra". maisfutebol.iol.pt (in Portuguese). Maisfutebol. 18 November 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Hugo Rodrigues, à segunda foi de vez". tvi24.iol.pt (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 18 November 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Where Are They Now? - Hugo Rodrigues (Originally published in Yeovil Town v Leeds United programme 23rd August 2008)". Mac The Hack. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 Nickless, Graham (9 August 2003). "Hugo's Hugeo – Football". The Sun. London: News UK. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Dunn, Andy (4 January 2004). "Hugo First; FA Cup: Third Round Why Portuguese Ace Made Ultimate Sacrifice for Yeovil". The People. London: Trinity Mirror Group.
  10. ↑ "Now Hugo signs on". ytfc.net. Yeovil Town F.C. 24 July 2003. Archived from the original on 18 February 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "Rochdale 1–3 Yeovil". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 9 August 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Yeovil 0–2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 January 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Kewell denies diving". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 January 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  14. ↑ Burt, Jason (6 January 2004). "Football: Yeovil Player Stands by Kewell Dive Claim". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Yeovil 1–2 Hull". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Hugo Rodrigues in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "English Division Three League Table 2003–2004". statto.com. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  18. ↑ "Glovers give up on duo". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 June 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "Johnson unsure on Rodrigues". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rodrigues will not return". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
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