Marco Rojas facts for kids
Rojas playing for New Zealand at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marco Rodrigo Rojas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Wellington Phoenix | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hamilton Wanderers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Hamilton Wanderers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Waikato | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Wellington Phoenix | 20 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Melbourne Victory | 48 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | VfB Stuttgart | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | VfB Stuttgart II | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | → Greuther Fürth (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | → Greuther Fürth II (loan) | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Thun (loan) | 37 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Melbourne Victory | 25 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Heerenveen | 25 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | SønderjyskE | 30 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Melbourne Victory | 44 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Colo-Colo | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Brisbane Roar | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Wellington Phoenix | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | New Zealand U20 | 9 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | New Zealand U23 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011– | New Zealand | 45 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Marco Rodrigo Rojas (born 5 November 1991) is a professional footballer from New Zealand. He plays as a forward, which means he helps score goals. He currently plays for the Wellington Phoenix club and also for the New Zealand national team, often called the All Whites.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Marco grew up in New Zealand. He went to Aberdeen Primary School and Maeroa Intermediate School. His family has roots in Chile.
Marco started his football journey at Wynton Rufer's Wynrs football academy. He even had trials with German clubs like Werder Bremen.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Wellington Phoenix
Marco Rojas got a trial with the Wellington Phoenix team. He impressed the coach, Ricki Herbert, and was offered a two-year contract.
He made his first professional appearance for the Phoenix in 2009. He was only 17 years old. This made him one of the youngest players to ever play for the club.
Marco scored his first goal for the Phoenix in December 2010. He was also named the Wellington Phoenix Young Player of the Year in 2011. After this, he decided to look for new opportunities.
Moving to Melbourne Victory
In March 2011, Marco joined Melbourne Victory on a two-year deal. He made his debut for them in October 2011.
His first goal for Melbourne Victory came in 2012. The 2012–13 season was a huge success for him. He scored 15 goals that season.
At the end of the 2012–13 season, Marco won two big awards. He received the Johnny Warren Medal and the A-League Young Footballer of the Year award. These awards are given to the best players in the league.
Playing in Europe
After his success in Australia, Marco wanted to play in Europe. In 2013, he signed a contract with VfB Stuttgart in Germany.
He scored his first goal for Stuttgart in a friendly match. However, he soon got an injury that kept him from playing for a few weeks.
Marco was later loaned out to other European clubs. He played for SpVgg Greuther Fürth in Germany and FC Thun in Switzerland. He scored his first goal in the Swiss Super League for FC Thun.
Returning to Melbourne Victory
In 2016, Marco came back to the A-League and rejoined Melbourne Victory. He signed a two-year deal.
He quickly made an impact, scoring important goals for the team. One goal was a last-minute winner against Adelaide United.
More European Adventures
In July 2017, Marco moved to the Netherlands. He joined the Dutch club SC Heerenveen. He played there for two years.
Later, in 2019, he moved to Denmark. He signed with SønderjyskE. He played 30 games for them before his contract ended.
Back to Melbourne and Chile
In January 2020, Marco returned to Melbourne Victory for a third time. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
In 2022, Marco moved to Chile, his father's home country. He joined the club Colo-Colo.
Back to Australia
In 2024, Marco returned to the A-League once more. He signed with Brisbane Roar. Later that year, he rejoined Wellington Phoenix.
International Career
Marco Rojas has also played for the New Zealand national team, known as the All Whites.
He made his debut for the All Whites in March 2011 against China. This was before he even played for any junior New Zealand teams.
He also played for the New Zealand U-20 team. He helped them win the 2011 OFC U-20 Championship. This win helped New Zealand qualify for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Marco was part of the New Zealand team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He has continued to represent his country in many international matches.
Honours
Marco Rojas has won several awards and championships throughout his career:
Melbourne Victory
- FFA Cup: 2021
New Zealand
- OFC Nations Cup: 2016
- OFC U-20 Championship: 2011
Individual Awards
- Oceania Footballer of the Year: 2012
- Johnny Warren Medal: 2012–13
- A-League Young Footballer of the Year: 2012–13
- A-League PFA Team of the Season : 2012–13
- IFFHS OFC Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020
- IFFHS Oceania Men's Team of All Time: 2021
Images for kids
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Marco Rojas training in 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Marco Rojas para niños
