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These days Rodrigo Moreno leads the line for Valencia and Spain but a spell at Bolton was vital in getting him there

Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Lisbon, and ... Bolton. And straight to Burnley from there. The first professional game played by Rodrigo Moreno – son of a Brazilian footballer, raised at Flamengo, Celta Vigo and Real Madrid, signed by Benfica – was at Turf Moor on a wet, windy Tuesday when his new manager was escorted to the bench by eight security staff and escorted away again at half-time when he ran on to confront the referee. Owen Coyle had left Burnley for Bolton, 23 miles south. Vitriol laced his return.

Rodrigo, then aged 19, had gone a little further to join the same club and found himself in the middle. “I remember them really going for Coyle,” he says. Some introduction, eh? Rodrigo joined Bolton on loan in 2010. A year on he had moved on again, returning to Benfica from where, three seasons and more than 50 goals later, he joined Valencia. He had a solitary year in the Premier League, started four games and scored one goal, but he had kicked something off. Burnley was his first match in England but his last was Manchester United at Old Trafford at the start of this month, and four weeks before that he scored the winner against England at Wembley. Now, as Spain meet Gareth Southgate’s side again, he is one of nine members of the selección who have played club football in England, even if Rodrigo’s case is different from most – no star signing, no Chelsea, United or Liverpool, not much impact either. Not on them, at least. On him – now that is a different story.

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from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2NGYY8O