Joao Rojas facts for kids
Rojas playing for Morelia in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joao Robin Rojas Mendoza | ||
| Date of birth | 14 June 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | La Troncal, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | São Paulo | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006 | Municipal Cañar | ||
| 2008 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2008 | Técnico Universitario | 67 | (6) |
| 2009–2011 | Independiente DV | 0 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Emelec (loan) | 75 | (13) |
| 2011 | → Morelia (loan) | 42 | (7) |
| 2012–2013 | Morelia | 53 | (11) |
| 2013–2018 | Cruz Azul | 111 | (20) |
| 2017–2018 | → Talleres (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2018– | São Paulo | 18 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2009 | Ecuador U-20 | 4 | (2) |
| 2008– | Ecuador | 34 | (2) |
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Joao Robin Rojas Mendoza (born June 14, 1989) is a professional football player from Ecuador. He plays as a right winger for the Brazilian club São Paulo FC. He also has Mexican citizenship.
Contents
Joao Rojas's Football Journey
Playing in Ecuador
Joao Rojas started playing professional football at a young age. He played over 80 games in his early career. He began with Municipal de Cañar as a young player. Later, he moved to Deportivo Quevedo and then briefly to Barcelona.
In 2007, his career really took off when he joined Técnico Universitario. In 2008, he was even named the best young player of the tournament while playing for Técnico. After that, he was loaned to River Plate in the Ecuadorian Second Division. In 2009, Rojas signed a contract with Emelec, another well-known club in Ecuador.
Moving to Mexico: Monarcas Morelia
First Season (2011)
In January 2011, Emelec loaned Rojas to Morelia in Mexico. This was a big step for him! In his first season, Rojas scored five goals in 22 games. Two of these goals were in an important semi-final match against Club America. He also scored in the final against UNAM, helping his team draw 1-1 in the first game. Even though they didn't win the championship, finishing second was a great achievement.
Next Seasons (2011–2013)
Morelia was so impressed that they bought Rojas permanently and gave him the number 10 jersey. In the 2011-12 season, he played 38 games and scored 4 goals. He helped Morelia reach the semi-finals of both the Mexican league and the CONCACAF Champions League.
For the 2012-13 season, Morelia signed Jefferson Montero, who used to be Rojas's teammate on the Ecuador U-20 team. Rojas and Montero often helped each other score goals in both league and cup matches. Rojas scored his first league goal of that season in a 3-0 win against Puebla. He continued to score against other teams like Club León, Querétaro, and Atlas.
Playing for Cruz Azul
Joining a New Team (2013)
In 2013, Joao Rojas moved to Cruz Azul, another big club in Mexico. He was given the number 11 shirt. His first game for Cruz Azul was on July 20, where his team won 1-0 against Monterrey. A few days later, on July 26, Joao scored his first goal for Cruz Azul, even though his team lost 3-2 to Santos Laguna.
Playing in Brazil: São Paulo
On June 22, 2018, Rojas joined the Brazilian club São Paulo FC. He signed a two-year contract with them, starting a new chapter in his career.
Joao Rojas's International Career
Joao Rojas has also played for his country, Ecuador. He was first called up to play for the national team in November 2008, making his debut against Mexico. He came on as a substitute in the last few minutes of that game.
In March 2009, Rojas started his first full game for Ecuador in a friendly match against El Salvador. People have compared him to another famous Ecuadorian player, Christian Benítez, because of his amazing speed, skills, and size.
Rojas played for the Ecuador U-20 team in the 2009 South American Youth Championship. He scored two goals in Ecuador's 2-1 win against Peru in that tournament.
He has been called up for important matches like the South American World Cup Qualifiers. Rojas was also chosen to be part of the Ecuador team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in Ecuador's first match against Switzerland, coming on in the 77th minute.
International Goals for Ecuador
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Final | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 November 2011 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Paraguay |
1–2 | 1–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 21 March 2013 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador |  El Salvador |
5–0 | 5–0 | International Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Joao Rojas has won some important trophies with his clubs:
