Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ricardo Ismael Rojas Mendoza | ||
Date of birth | 26 January 1971 | ||
Place of birth | Posadas, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Full-back | ||
Youth career | |||
1991 | Argentinos Juniors | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1991–1992 | Cerro Corá | 15 | (0) |
1992–1994 | Libertad | 54 | (0) |
1994–1999 | Estudiantes | 123 | (0) |
1999–2001 | Benfica | 32 | (0) |
2001 | → River Plate (loan) | 24 | (1) |
2002–2006 | River Plate | 44 | (0) |
2006–2007 | Belgrano | 10 | (0) |
Total | 302 | (1) | |
International career | |||
1997–1998 | Paraguay | 7 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Ricardo Ismael Rojas Mendoza (born 26 January 1971) is a retired Paraguayan professional footballer who played as a full-back.
He first came into notability at Libertad in Paraguay, transferring to Estudiantes in 1995, where he established himself and received his first call-up for Paraguay national team. In 1999, he moved to Benfica, but less than a year and half later was back at Argentina, playing for River Plate until 2006. He represented Paraguay seven times, being a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Posadas, at the Argentine province of Misiones, Rojas played for Argentinos Juniors at the same time as Christian Dollberg in 1991.[1] He moved to Cerro Corá in the same year and participated in their campaign in the Primera División.[2] In 1992, he joined the larger Club Libertad, where he secured a place in the first team, amassing over 50 league matches in three seasons.[2] After five years in Paraguay, Rojas returned to Argentina, signing with Estudiantes.[2]
In Estudiantes, he played the left-back role for four seasons with more than 120 league appearances, but without winning any silverware. In July 1999, the 28-year-old moved abroad and joined Benfica, alongside his teammate, Carlos Bossio;in what he labelled the transfer as the highest point in his career.[3] According to Record, the fee for both was three million dollars.[4] He made his debut on 12 September, in a 3–0 away win against Santa Clara,[5] and went on to play 30 games in all competitions, mainly as a right-back.[6][7] However, in 2000–01, the signings of Ivan Dudić on the right, and the breakthrough of Diogo Luís on the left, severely diminished his playing time,[8][9] so in February 2001, he was loaned to River Plate.[10] His pay-check there was a reported 500 thousand dollars, one of highest in the league.[11]
Initially, under Américo Gallego, he could only play in the Copa Libertadores due to his late arrival in the season.[12] In 2001–02, already with Ramón Díaz in charge, Rojas alternated with Matías Lequi on the left and despite speculation that he would be released, he signed on permanent deal in early 2002.[12] On 11 March 2002, he scored his only top tier goal, in a 3–0 victory of River over its main rivals, Boca Juniors.[12][13] After scoring that goal, he was nicknamed vaseline.[14] He would play for River for a further four years, retiring in 2007 after a brief spell at Belgrano.[2] After football, he became a farmer and moved back to his home-town.[14]
Despite being born in Argentina, Rojas grandparents were from Paraguay. He hoped of playing for Argentina but the stiff competition made it difficult for him to ever receive a call-up, so he opted to represent Paraguay instead, as he explained in 1999: "My grandparents were Paraguayans and before I played in Argentina, I had already received a call-up to play for Paraguay. Still, I turned it down because my ambition was to play for the Argentina national team, but I soon figured out my chances were slim. Just before the World Cup in France, I was invited again by the Paraguayan Football Association and ended up accepting it and representing Paraguay in the World Cup."[3] He was listed in squad for the 1997 Copa América,[15] and was a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but did not make any appearances.[16] In total, he received 7 call-ups from 1997 to 1998.