Ricardo Rodríguez

Ricardo Rodriguez is regarded as one of the accomplished defenders. He is mostly known for his strong heading and penalty-taking abilities. The footballer plays for Italian Serie A club Milan and Switzerland national team as a left back. He also played for a number of top flighted clubs, especially his a s sociation with German sports club VfL Wolfsburg was the most fruitful. The player has also recieved a lot of praise from pundits for rarely conceding careless fouls. The fantastic left-back will be seen in action in FIFA World Cup 2018.  

Early Life And Education Of Ricardo Rodriguez 

Ricardo Rodriguez was born on 25 August 1992, in Zurich, Switzerland. He was raised up in his hometown Zurich along with younger brother Robert Rodriguez who currently plays as a midfielder for FC Zurich and the older brother named Francisco Rodriguez, who is also a professional footballer. 

Rodriguez is the son born to Spanish father Marcela Rodriguez and a Chilean mother Jose Rodriguez.  The footballer started his early career joining the youth club FC Schwamendingen in 2001. The following year, he went on to practice at the youth setup of FC Zurich.          

Ricardo Rodriguez's Club Career 

Having spent eight years as an active member of the club's youth set-up, Ricardo Rodriguez was promoted to the senior squad when he was just 16. He played his first game for the club during the Swiss Super League in a 2-0 victory over Bellinzona, on 21 March 2010.  The player netted his first career goal on 28 April playing against Neuchâtel Xamax at the Letzigrund.     

Rodriguez made his European debut on 27 July 2011.  In a total, he appeared in 35-matches scoring two goals for the club. On 11 January 2012, it was officially announced that the club made an agreement for his transfer to German side Wolfsburg. 

Despite being sold mid-way through the season, Rodriguez was voted as the Fans' Player of the Season ahead of Pedro Henrique and Oliver Buff, on 4 June 2012. 

On 9 November 2013, Rodriguez scored his first goal for the cub hitting the direct free kick in a home match against Borussia Dortmund. In addition to his nine a s sists, the player also netted five league goals in the  2013–14 season. Following his impressive displays during the season, Rodriguez registered his first ever goal in European football on 18 September 2014. 

Rodriguez finished 2014-2015 season scoring 10 goals and played one of the crucial roles for the club to win their first cup DFB-Pokal, beating Borussia Dortmund in the final by 3-1. In the early 2015/16 campaign, the footballer helped his club to further success as Wolfsburg won the DFL-Supercup beating Bayern Munich on penalties. 

It was announced on 8 June 2017, that the player made his move to Italian Seria A club A.C. Milan signing a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15 million (18,244,721.25 US Dollar) including €2 million ($2,316,790) plus in bonuses. 

Rodríguez played his first Serie A match in a 3–0 home win against Crotone on 21 August and netted his first league goal in a 2–0 victory against SPAL at the San Siro on 20 September.       

Ricardo Rodriguez's International Career 

Ricardo Rodriguez was also a member of the Swiss U17 team which also won 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In that tournament, he scored the winning goal in the second group match against Japan as the match ended 4-3.

Rodriguez played his first senior match for Swiss national football team in a second-half as a substitute for Xherdan Shaqiri in the Euro 2012 qualifying match against Wales on 7 October 2011.

The player made his full debut four days later in a 2-0 victory over Montenegro. He was also a part of Switzerland's squad in the 2012 Olympics and played all three games before they were eliminated in the group stages. 

Rodriguez was also named for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland's squad. During the tournament, he delivered his greatest performance and earned plaudits. He was also listed in UEFA Euro 2016  but the team was knocked out on penalties by Poland.

His first international goal came on 8 October 2016, when they defeated  Hungary at the Groupama Arena in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.  He has also earned a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in Russia. 

Ricardo Rodriguez's Net Worth And Salary 

Ricardo Rodriguez's net worth is still under review which as per some online source is believed to be over $3 million. As of May 2018, his estimated annual salary is around €3.2 million ($3,712,707.20).  He also collected a lot of money from his endorsement deal with several renowned companies like Nike.

In the 2015-16 season with his old club VfL Wolfsburg, Rodriguez earned £4,928,000 (6,535,735.36 US Dollar). His current market value is £15.30 million (20,292,237.00 US Dollar). 

Ricardo Rodriguez's Personal Life 

Ricardo Rodriguez is not married yet but has been in a longterm relationship with his girlfriend but the name of the lady is still a mystery. He has posted several romantic snaps of the couple on his social media. 

They were also spotted in a number of places spending quality time together.