Place of birth Lima, Peru Years Team Name Alberto Rodriguez Height 1.82 m Career start 2002 | Playing position 2002–2006 Sporting Cristal Role Footballer Weight 78 kg | |
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Full name Alberto Junior Rodriguez Valdelomar Date of birth (1984-03-31) 31 March 1984 (age 31) Current teams Peru national football team (Defender), Sporting Cristal (Defender) | ||
Alberto Junior Rodriguez Valdelomar, nicknamed El mudo (mute) (born 31 March 1984), is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays for Sporting Cristal as a central defender.
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Club career
Born in Lima, Rodriguez started his football career with Deportivo Wanka, but was quickly taken to Sporting Cristal still aged 18. During his four full seasons he never appeared in less than 30 Primera Division matches, with the capital side winning three Clausura titles.
On 28 December 2006 Rodriguez signed a three 1/2-year deal with Primeira Liga club S.C. Braga and, on 18 February 2007, played his first league match against U.D. Leiria. He finished his first season in Portugal with nine appearances, helping the Minho team finish fourth.
In the following four campaigns Rodriguez was irregularly used by Braga due to constant injury problems, but contributed with 20 games as the team finished in a best-ever second place in 2010, adding seven contests in the following campaign's UEFA Europa League, with his team achieving runner-up honours. On 27 May 2011, he penned a four-year contract with Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Under former Braga boss Domingos Paciencia, Rodriguez's first and only season with Sporting was again greatly undermined by physical problems, and he only appeared in 13 official matches. In mid-July 2012 he was loaned to Deportivo de La Coruna in La Liga, moving to the Spanish side as many teammates, but returned to Lisbon after failing on his medical.
On 24 July 2012 Rodriguez bought out his contract with Sporting, and signed for fellow top-divisioner Rio Ave FC.
International career
Rodriguez started representing Peru during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and quickly became a defensive cornerstone for the national side, representing it at the 2007 Copa America in an eventual quarterfinal exit.
He was also selected for the 2011 Copa America squad, being an important defensive unit as the Sergio Markarian-led team finished in third place in Argentina.