Rodrigo Bentancur facts for kids
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Bentancur with Uruguay in 2017
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 25 June 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2015 | Boca Juniors | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Boca Juniors | 51 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Juventus | 133 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Tottenham Hotspur | 70 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Uruguay U20 | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Uruguay | 67 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Rodrigo Bentancur Colman (born on June 25, 1997) is a professional footballer from Uruguay. He plays as a central midfielder for the English club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Uruguay national team.
Rodrigo started his football journey in 2009 at the youth academy of Boca Juniors in Argentina. He joined the main team in 2015. With Boca Juniors, he helped them win two Primera División titles and a Copa Argentina. In 2017, he moved to the Italian club Juventus, where he won three Serie A titles in a row. In January 2022, Bentancur joined Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
For his country, Rodrigo was part of the Uruguay U20 team that won the 2017 South American U-20 Championship. He played his first game for the senior Uruguay team in 2017. He has represented Uruguay in the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022. He also played in the Copa América tournaments in 2019, 2021, and 2024.
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Early Life and Family
Rodrigo Bentancur was born in Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay, on June 25, 1997. His parents are Roberto Bentancur and Mary Colmán. He has a younger brother named Damián. When he was little, Damián couldn't say "Rodrigo," so he called him "Lolo," which became Rodrigo's nickname. Rodrigo's family background includes Irish, Spanish, and Swiss roots.
When Rodrigo was four years old, his mother passed away. To honor her, he wears the number 30 jersey, which was her birthday. His father, Roberto, later married Cecilia Agredi. Rodrigo also has two half-sisters, Cande and Mica.
Rodrigo loved football from a young age. In 2009, a scout from Boca Juniors, Horacio Anselmi, noticed his talent. Rodrigo then joined the Boca Juniors youth academy.
Club Football Career
Starting at Boca Juniors
Rodrigo played his first game for the Boca Juniors main team on April 12, 2015. It was a league match against Nueva Chicago. He came into the game in the 77th minute, and the match ended in a 0–0 draw.
In July 2015, Juventus gained the first chance to sign Rodrigo and some other young players. This was part of a deal involving the famous player Carlos Tevez. Juventus had until April 2017 to decide if they wanted to sign Bentancur. Juventus's CEO, Giuseppe Marotta, later confirmed they would sign him.
Rodrigo arrived in Turin, Italy, on April 3, 2017, for his medical tests. On April 21, 2017, Juventus officially bought Bentancur. They signed him for five years, starting on July 1, 2017, for €9.5 million. Boca Juniors also gets 50% of any money if Juventus sells him in the future. Rodrigo then went back to Argentina to finish the 2016–17 season with Boca Juniors.
Playing for Juventus
Rodrigo officially became a Juventus player on July 1, 2017. He made his first appearance for the club on August 26, 2017. He came on as a substitute in a 4–2 away win against Genoa in Serie A. On October 6, 2018, Rodrigo scored his first goal for Juventus. It was in a 2–0 away win against Udinese in the Serie A. During his time at Juventus, Italian newspapers sometimes called him Principe, which means "Prince."
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Moving to Tottenham Hotspur
On January 31, 2022, Bentancur joined the Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He made his debut for Spurs on February 5 in an FA Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion. Spurs won that game 3–1. Nine days later, he played his first Premier League game, coming on as a substitute against Southampton.
On September 18, 2022, Rodrigo scored his first goal for Tottenham. It was in a Premier League game against Leicester City, helping Spurs win 6–2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He then scored his first UEFA Champions League goal, an equalizer against Sporting CP. That match ended 1–1. Three days later, he scored a winning goal in injury time against AFC Bournemouth, helping Spurs come back from 2–0 down to win 3–2. Two weeks after that, he scored two goals in one game for the first time in the Premier League. These late goals against Leeds United secured a 4–3 victory for Spurs.
On February 11, 2023, Rodrigo got a serious knee injury (an anterior cruciate ligament injury) during a match against Leicester City. This meant he could not play for the rest of that season.
Rodrigo returned to play on October 27, 2023, in a 2–1 away win against Crystal Palace. However, a month later, on November 26, he injured his ankle ligaments during a game against Aston Villa. Even though he was expected to be out for 8 to 10 weeks, he came back sooner, playing against Bournemouth on December 31, 2023. On January 5, 2024, he was captain for the first time in an FA Cup win against Burnley. He scored his first goal since his injury return on January 15, 2024, helping Tottenham draw 2–2 with Manchester United.
International Football Career
Rodrigo was a key player for the Uruguay national under-20 team. They won the 2017 South American U-20 Championship and finished fourth in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
In September 2017, Rodrigo was called up to the senior Uruguay national team for the first time. He made his international debut on October 5, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw against Venezuela.
In May 2018, Rodrigo was chosen for Uruguay's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in Uruguay's first match on June 15, a 1–0 win over Egypt. In the Round of 16 match against Portugal on June 30, he helped set up Edinson Cavani's second goal, leading to a 2–1 victory. Uruguay was later knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
Bentancur was also part of Uruguay's teams for the 2019 and 2021 Copas Américas. In both tournaments, Uruguay reached the quarter-finals but were eliminated after penalty shootouts.
On February 2, 2022, Rodrigo scored his first goal for Uruguay in a 4–1 win over Venezuela during a World Cup qualifier.
In November 2022, he was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He started all three group matches for Uruguay. Uruguay won their last group match 2–0 against Ghana, but they were still eliminated from the tournament.
How He Plays Football
Rodrigo Bentancur is a skilled and versatile midfielder. He is known for being dynamic, working hard, and being elegant on the field. He can use both feet well. He is a tall and strong player who can play in many midfield positions. This includes playing as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, or even as a box-to-box midfielder. He can also play on the sides as a winger or further up the field as an attacking midfielder.
He has good control of the ball, great technique, and quick footwork. This helps him get past opponents. His vision, smart thinking, and accurate passing allow him to control the game and create chances for his teammates. He is also good at winning the ball back. Because he is tall and strong, he can even act as a "target man" in attack.
Even though he might not be the fastest, he moves well and can press opponents high up the field. People also praise him for staying calm and thinking quickly, whether he has the ball or not. Because of his talent and maturity at a young age, he is seen as a very promising player.
Personal Life
Rodrigo Bentancur has been in a long-term relationship with Melany La Banca since 2015. Melany is from Argentina and Uruguay. They have a daughter together.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boca Juniors | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | – | 66 | 1 | ||||
| Juventus | 2017–18 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Total | 133 | 2 | 13 | 1 | — | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 181 | 3 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2021–22 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 26 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Total | 70 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | 88 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 254 | 11 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 335 | 13 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | |
| Total | 67 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bentancur goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 February 2022 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Venezuela |
1–0 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 27 June 2024 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States |  Bolivia |
5–0 | 5–0 | 2024 Copa América |
| 3 | 13 July 2024 | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, United States |  Canada |
1–0 | 2–2 (4–3 p) | 2024 Copa América |
Football Achievements
Boca Juniors
- Argentine Primera División: 2015, 2016–17
- Copa Argentina: 2014–15
Juventus
- Serie A: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
- Coppa Italia: 2017–18, 2020–21
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2018, 2020
Uruguay U20
- South American Youth Football Championship: 2017
Uruguay
- Copa América third place: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Rodrigo Bentancur para niños
