Vicente Rodríguez facts for kids
Vicente as a Valencia player in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vicente Rodríguez Guillén | ||
| Date of birth | 16 July 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Valencia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.75 m | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Benicalap | |||
| Levante | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–2000 | Levante | 60 | (9) |
| 2000–2011 | Valencia | 243 | (36) |
| 2011–2013 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 29 | (5) |
| Total | 332 | (50) | |
| National team | |||
| 1997–1998 | Spain U16 | 11 | (1) |
| 1998–1999 | Spain U17 | 15 | (6) |
| 1999–2000 | Spain U18 | 7 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Spain U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 2001–2005 | Spain | 38 | (3) |
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Vicente Rodríguez Guillén (born 16 July 1981), known simply as Vicente, is a Spanish former professional football player. He was a left winger known for his amazing skills, speed, and ability to score goals.
Vicente played most of his career with Valencia. He was with the team for 11 seasons. During this time, he played 340 matches and helped them win five major titles. These titles included two La Liga championships. Vicente also played for the Spanish national team in the early 2000s. He even played in the Euro 2004 tournament.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Levante
Vicente was born in Valencia, Spain. He was a big fan of Valencia CF since he was a kid. He began his professional football journey with Levante UD. This team was in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second-highest league.
Vicente played his first professional game on 23 November 1997. He was only 16 years old at the time. His talent quickly caught the eye of big teams. Clubs like Arsenal, Valencia, and Real Madrid were interested in him. In the end, Valencia convinced him to join their team.
Playing for Valencia
Vicente moved to Valencia in the summer of 2000. At first, another player, Kily González, played in his favorite left winger spot. But Vicente still played well. He scored five goals in 33 La Liga matches. He also played in 13 matches in the Champions League that season.
When Rafael Benítez became coach in 2001–02, Vicente got his chance to shine. He played a key role in helping Valencia win their first league title in over 30 years. He became a first-choice player and kept up his good performance.
The 2003–04 season was Vicente's best. His strong play helped Valencia win their second league title under Benítez. He also scored two goals in seven matches during their successful run in the UEFA Cup. One of these goals was in the final game. He also helped Mista score another goal in that final. Vicente scored 12 league goals that season, which was his personal best.
After this great year, many big teams wanted Vicente. But he decided to stay with Valencia. He signed a new contract for four more years. He said he was happy to stay because Valencia was his home.
However, in the 2004–05 season, Vicente faced challenges. He had ankle injuries that kept him from playing. The team's coach, Claudio Ranieri, also changed how Vicente played. This made it harder for him to use his full speed on the wing. He only played in 12 league matches that season. The next year, 2005–06, he continued to struggle with ankle problems.
Vicente was often injured in 2006–07 as well. A serious injury in a Champions League game against Chelsea ended his season early. He only played in 16 league matches.
He made a strong return in 2007–08. He scored in a 3–0 win against IF Elfsborg in the Champions League. But another injury happened soon after during training. This meant he spent a lot more time off the field.
Vicente was very upset about his ongoing injuries. He felt frustrated with the medical staff. He was fined by the club for some of his public comments about the situation.
In 2008–09, Vicente played more regularly. He often came on as a substitute for young player Juan Mata. Even though he played fewer minutes, he still scored six league goals.
His injury problems continued in the next season. He only played his first game on 6 January 2010. After 11 years with Valencia, he left the club.
Time at Brighton & Hove Albion
On 2 September 2011, Vicente signed a one-year contract. He joined Brighton & Hove Albion, a team in England's Football League Championship. He played his first official game on 21 September. It was a 1–2 loss against Liverpool in the Football League Cup.
Vicente scored his first goal for Brighton on 1 October 2011. It was in a 3–1 loss to Ipswich Town. However, he got injured again soon after and was out for over three months. He came back on 4 February 2012. He helped Will Buckley score the winning goal against Leicester City. The next week, he helped set up two goals in a 2–1 win against Leeds United.
On 10 March 2012, Brighton beat Portsmouth 2–0. Vicente scored both goals, including one from a free kick. This win helped his team move into the play-off spots. In May 2013, after playing only 13 games that season, he left the club.
On 17 April 2014, Vicente announced he was retiring from football. He later returned to work with Valencia. He was part of their technical staff from 2016 to 2018. In January 2023, he came back again to be an ambassador for the club.
International Career
Vicente played his first game for Spain on 28 March 2001. It was a friendly match against France. Spain won 2–1.
He played in his first big tournament at the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. He played in all three group-stage matches. However, his ongoing injuries meant he missed out on playing in the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, and the 2010 World Cup.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Levante | 1997–98 | Segunda División | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | |
| 1998–99 | Segunda División B | 21 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 24 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | Segunda División | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 36 | 7 | ||
| Total | 60 | 9 | 4 | 0 | — | 64 | 9 | |||
| Valencia | 2000–01 | La Liga | 33 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 48 | 6 |
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 39 | 3 | |
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 33 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 42 | 14 | |
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 5 | |
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 3 | |
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 4 | |
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 17 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 27 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 38 | 10 | |
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | La Liga | 14 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
| Total | 243 | 36 | 30 | 10 | 67 | 6 | 340 | 52 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2011–12 | Championship | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 |
| 2012–13 | Championship | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| Total | 29 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 332 | 50 | 37 | 10 | 67 | 6 | 436 | 66 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2001 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 38 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vicente goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2003 | Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway |  Norway |
2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 2 | 8 September 2004 | Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 17 August 2005 | El Molinón, Gijón, Spain |  Uruguay |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Valencia
- La Liga: 2001–02, 2003–04
- Copa del Rey: 2007–08
- UEFA Cup: 2003–04
- UEFA Super Cup: 2004
Individual
- Don Balón Award: 2003–04
See also
In Spanish: Vicente Rodríguez Guillén para niños
