Alberto Junior Rodríguez Valdelomar
Encyclopedia
Alberto Junior Rodríguez Valdelomar, nicknamed El mudo (mute) (born 31 March 1984 in Lima
), is a Peru
vian footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal in the Portuguese first division, as a central defender.
, but was quickly taken to national powerhouse Sporting Cristal
, still aged 18. During his four full seasons, he never appeared in less than 30 league matches, with the capital
side winning three Clausura titles.
On 28 December 2006, Rodríguez signed a three 1/2-year deal with Portuguese League oufit Sporting de Braga and, on 18 February 2007, played his first league match for Braga, against U.D. Leiria. He finished his first season with nine appearances, helping the Minho side finish fourth.
In the following four seasons, Rodríguez 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 matches in the following season's UEFA Europa League, with his team achieving runner-up honours. On 27 May 2011, he signed a four-year contract with national powerhouse Sporting Clube de Portugal.
during the 2006 FIFA World Cup
qualifiers
, and quickly became a defensive cornerstone for the national side, representing it at the 2007 Copa América, in an eventual quarterfinal exit.
He was also selected for the 2011 Copa América
squad, being an important defensive unit as the Sergio Markarián
-led team finished in third place in Argentina
.
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
), is a Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal in the Portuguese first division, as a central defender.
Club career
Rodriguez started his football career in Deportivo WankaDeportivo Wanka
Deportivo Wanka is a Peruvian football club, based in the city of Huancayo in the Peruvian Andes. It was founded in 1996 and is named after the Wankas people who formerly inhabited the area and after whom the city of Huancayo is named. The current Deportivo Wanka is merged with Deportivo Pesquero...
, but was quickly taken to national powerhouse Sporting Cristal
Sporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
, still aged 18. During his four full seasons, he never appeared in less than 30 league matches, with the capital
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
side winning three Clausura titles.
On 28 December 2006, Rodríguez signed a three 1/2-year deal with Portuguese League oufit Sporting de Braga and, on 18 February 2007, played his first league match for Braga, against U.D. Leiria. He finished his first season with nine appearances, helping the Minho side finish fourth.
In the following four seasons, Rodríguez 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 matches in the following season's UEFA Europa League, with his team achieving runner-up honours. On 27 May 2011, he signed a four-year contract with national powerhouse Sporting Clube de Portugal.
International career
Rodríguez started representing PeruPeru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
during the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
qualifiers
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for South America. 10 teams took part, all in a single group. The rules were very simple: the teams would play against each other in a home-and-away basis, with the four teams with most points qualifying to...
, and quickly became a defensive cornerstone for the national side, representing it at the 2007 Copa América, in an eventual quarterfinal exit.
He was also selected for the 2011 Copa América
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
squad, being an important defensive unit as the Sergio Markarián
Sergio Markarián
Sergio Apraham Markarián is a Uruguayan-Armenian football coach. Currently, he is the head coach of the national football team of Peru.-Early life:...
-led team finished in third place in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Club
- Sporting CristalSporting CristalClub Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
:- Peruvian League: ClausuraApertura and ClausuraThe Apertura and Clausura tournaments are a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional European football season from August to May is divided in two sections per season, each with its own champion. Apertura and Clausura are the Spanish words for...
2002, 2004, 2005
- Peruvian League: Clausura
- Braga:
- UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
: 2008 - UEFA Europa League: Runner-up 2010–11
- UEFA Intertoto Cup