Leeds sign Valencia striker Rodrigo for a record deal
Leeds United, returning to the Premier League, announced today that it has signed a contract with Spanish striker Rodrigo from Valencia on a four-year contract with a record deal for the club. Leeds announced on his website that he had signed a contract with the 29-year-old "club record deal" without specifying its value, while press reports said it amounted to nearly 30 million pounds (40 million dollars).
Rodrygo was born in Brazil, where he started playing football with Flamengo, before moving to Spain, where he grew up in Celta Vigo and Real Madrid, to move to Benfica of Portugal at the age of 19 in 2010. Benfica loaned him to Bolton Wanderers, England for the 2010-2011 season, when he was competing in the Premier League. He joined Valencia on loan first in 2014, before finally signing with him in 2015.
He scored 27 goals in 67 matches with Benfica in the league and scored with him in the 2013/2014 season, the local three. He also contributed to the Portuguese team reaching the European League final, "Europa League" in 2013 and 2014, when it came to Chelsea and Seville, respectively.
He played 220 matches with Valencia in all competitions during six seasons, scoring 59 goals, scoring the goal in the 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the 2019 Spanish Cup Final. Rodrygo, with Spain, won the 2013 European Cup for under 21 years, along with Thiago Alcantara, Isco, Alvaro Morata and goalkeeper David De Gea.
Since 2014, he has participated in 22 matches with the first "La Roja" national team, during which he scored eight goals, and was called up to the squad to face Ukraine and Germany in the European Nations League next month.