 Rojas playing for New Zealand at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marco Rodrigo Rojas[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Brisbane Roar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | New Zealand U20 | 9 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | New Zealand U23 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011– | New Zealand | 43 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 January 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marco Rodrigo Rojas (born 5 November 1991) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a forward for Brisbane Roar FC and the New Zealand national football team.
During his time in the A-League with Melbourne Victory, Rojas was dubbed the Kiwi Messi by fans for his ability on the ball and goalscoring prowess.
Rojas attended Aberdeen Primary School and Maeroa Intermediate School during the late 1990s and early-mid-2000s. He is of Chilean descent.[3]
Marco Rojas came through Wynton Rufer's Wynrs football academy. He trialled with fellow graduate Caleb Rufer at German clubs Werder Bremen, Hannover and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Neither player was successful, but Rojas was awarded a trial with the Wellington Phoenix after winning the Retro Ricki Youth Scholarship from the supporters group Yellow Fever. Rojas impressed Wellington coach Ricki Herbert and put in some good performances in the Phoenix's warm up friendlies, resulting in him getting offered a 2-year contract with the A-League side.[4]
On 13 September 2009, he made his senior debut in the A-League for the Wellington Phoenix against Melbourne Victory at the age of 17, coming off the bench as a 77th minute substitution for Daniel[5] making him the second youngest player to play for the Phoenix behind Kosta Barbarouses. Rojas got his second appearance for the Phoenix when he was substituted on for Paul Ifill in the 73rd minute against Central Coast Mariners on 27 September 2009.[6]
Rojas scored his first goal on his full debut for the Phoenix on 18 December 2010 in a 4–0 victory over the Newcastle Jets. His second goal was in the 72nd minute on 5 January against Melbourne Victory helping them secure a 2–0 win at Westpac Stadium. Rojas provided the assist for Chris Greenacre's opening goal in a 3–1 win over North Queensland Fury in the Phoenix's final home game of the 2010–11 season.
On 18 February 2011, Rojas was awarded the NAB Young Player of the Month.[7] On 22 February 2011, he was awarded the Wellington Phoenix young player of the year.
On 27 February 2011, Wellington Phoenix announced that Rojas declined to sign a new contract with the club and wanted to move on.[8] Following this announcement, some media outlets claimed unofficially that Rojas had signed for Melbourne Victory,[9][10] however, officially, Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick denied this.[11] It was believed at the time that Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United and a South American club were vying for the signature of the highly rated youngster.[12][13]
On 11 March 2011, Melbourne Victory ended weeks of speculation by officially confirming that they had indeed signed Rojas, securing him on a two-year deal.[14]
On 8 October 2011, Rojas made his debut for Melbourne Victory FC in the A-League season opener against Sydney FC.[15] It would not be until the following 2012–13 season, however, that he would score his first Melbourne Victory goal; it came in the Victory's 2–1 loss to crosstown rivals Melbourne Heart, after receiving a cross from Archie Thompson.[16][17] His second Melbourne Victory goal came in the Victory's 2–1 win against Adelaide United two weeks later.[18] Rojas scored goal number 15 for season 2012–13 on 31 March 2013 against Wellington Phoenix in a 2–3 win.[19][20]
At the A-League end of season awards for the 2012–13 season, Rojas won both the Johnny Warren Medal and the A-League Young Footballer of the Year awards.[21]
On 18 April 2013, Rojas quit Melbourne Victory to pursue a career in Europe. His contract with Melbourne expired on 30 April 2013.[22]
Rojas moved during the 2013–14 season to VfB Stuttgart. On 8 May 2013, Marco Rojas signed a contract until June 2017 with VfB Stuttgart. He joined the Bundesliga side on a free transfer from Melbourne Victory.[23]
On 10 July 2013, Marco started his first game for Die Schwaben in a pre-season friendly match against the local Hohenlohe-Selection at the Schönebürgstadion, Crailsheim. Marco scored his first goal for his new club in this game to give VfB a 4–0 lead just before half time, VfB went on to win the match 5–0.[24]
On 17 July 2013, Marco suffered an injury setback during training that sidelined the Kiwi international for between four and six weeks. Media sources revealed Rojas had broken a bone in his foot. Rojas however continued to swim, cycle and perform weight training but he was unable to continue football related activities until after the new 1. Bundesliga season began in early August.[25]
On 21 August 2014, Rojas was loaned out to SpVgg Greuther Fürth.[26] In January 2015 the loan deal was terminated.
He was loaned out to FC Thun on 3 January 2015 until the end of the 2014–15 season.[27] On 8 February 2015, Rojas scored his first Swiss Super League goal on debut for FC Thun in Thun's 1–1 draw with FC Aarau match.[28] On 12 June 2015, the loan deal was extended until the end of the 2015–16 season.[29]
On 25 August 2016, Rojas returned to the A-League with former club Melbourne Victory, signing a two-year deal.[30][31] His first goal on return was the sole goal for Victory in a disappointing Melbourne Derby clash. The following week, Rojas scored a match-winner at the last minute of stoppage time against Adelaide United. His performances in the first half of the season, have been voted by Mark Bosnich as the best the A-League has ever seen.[citation needed]
In July 2017, Rojas joined Dutch club SC Heerenveen on a two-year contract with the option of a third year.[32]
SønderjyskE confirmed the signing of Rojas on 22 January 2019.[33] He signed a one-year contract with an option to extend it further, and got shirt number 17. However, his contract wasn't extended and he left the club by the end of 2019.[34]
On 22 January 2020, Melbourne Victory announced that he had again signed for the club on a two-and-a-half year deal.
In July 2022, Rojas moved to Chile, the native country of his father, and joined Colo-Colo on a deal for eighteen months.[35]
Rojas re-joined the A-League for the second half of the 2023-24 season, signing with Brisbane Roar.[36]
On 8 March 2011, Rojas was called up for the 30-man squad for the upcoming games against China and Japan for New Zealand's national team the All Whites. He made his debut as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 draw with China on 25 March 2011 before he made any appearance for any other junior New Zealand sides.[37] The scheduled match against Japan was called off due to logistics and safety concerns following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. He gained his second international cap against Australia, 5 May 2011 he came on as a second-half substitute. Australia won the game 5–0
Rojas was selected for the New Zealand U-20 team to compete in the 2011 OFC U-20 Championship in April 2011 and the Suwon Cup in Korea. During the OFC U-20 championship he played in all four matches helping the Junior All Whites win the tournament and secure qualification to the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
During the junior All Whites game against Uruguay in the 2011 under-20 World Cup, Rojas contributed to the goal that put New Zealand in the lead at 54 minutes (the game finished in a 1–1 draw).[38]
He was an unused squad player at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[39]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hamilton Wanderers | 2007 | Northern League | 10 | 2 | – | – | – | 10 | 2 | |||
| Total | 10 | 2 | – | – | – | 10 | 2 | |||||
| Waikato | 2008–09[41] | Stirling Sports Premiership | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | 13 | 1 | |||||
| Wellington Phoenix | 2009–10[42] | A-League | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11[43] | A-League | 16 | 2 | – | – | 1[a] | 0 | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 20 | 2 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||||
| Melbourne Victory | 2011–12[44] | A-League | 23 | 0 | – | – | – | 23 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13[45] | A-League | 25 | 15 | – | – | 2[a] | 0 | 27 | 15 | |||
| Total | 48 | 15 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 50 | 15 | ||||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2013–14[46] | 3.Liga | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17[47] | Regionalliga Südwest | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Greuther Fürth (loan) | 2014–15[48] | 2.Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Greuther Fürth II (loan) | 2014–15[49] | Regionalliga Bayern | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | |||
| Thun (loan) | 2014–15[50] | Super League | 17 | 2 | – | – | – | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16[51] | Super League | 20 | 2 | 3[b] | 0 | 6[c] | 1 | - | 29 | 3 | ||
| Total | 44 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 53 | 6 | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2016–17[52] | A-League | 23 | 13 | 2[d] | 1 | – | 2[a] | – | 27 | 14 | |
| Total | 23 | 13 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 0 | 27 | 14 | |||
| Heerenveen | 2017–18[53] | Eredivisie | 20 | 3 | 2[e] | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | – | 24 | 4 | |
| 2018–19[54] | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 23 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 29 | 4 | |||
| SønderjyskE | 2018–19[55] | Superliga | 5 | 0 | – | 2[c] | 0 | 4[f] | 1 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2019–20[56] | Superliga | 19 | 2 | 2[g] | 1 | – | – | 21 | 3 | |||
| Total | 24 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 4 | ||
| Melbourne Victory | 2019–20[57] | A-League | 10 | 6 | – | 7[h] | 1 | – | 17 | 7 | ||
| 2020–21[58] | A-League | 21 | 5 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 31 | 11 | – | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 7 | |||
| Career total | 225 | 49 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 262 | 55 | ||
| New Zealand[59] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Location | Opposition | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 September 2012 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand |  Solomon Islands |
6–1 | 6–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 7 October 2016 | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, United States |  Mexico |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3. | 12 November 2016 | QBE Stadium, Albany, New Zealand |  New Caledonia
|
1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 2–0 | |||||
| 5. | 25 March 2017 | Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji |  Fiji |
2–0 | 2–0 |
Melbourne Victory
New Zealand
Individual
