Garry Rodrigues

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Garry Rodrigues
Cap-vert vs Ethiopi (24).jpg
Rodrigues with Cape Verde at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
Personal information
Full name Garry Mendes Rodrigues
Date of birth (1990-11-27) 27 November 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
Apollon Limassol
Number 10
Youth career
2004–2007 Feyenoord Rotterdam
2007–2009 Real SC
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2009–2010 XerxesDZB 15 (2)
2011 Rostocker FC 0 (0)
2011–2012 Boshuizen 12 (1)
2012–2013 ADO Den Haag 0 (0)
2012–2013Dordrecht (loan) 20 (5)
2013–2014 Levski Sofia 35 (13)
2014–2015 Elche 41 (3)
2015–2017 PAOK 38 (9)
2017–2019 Galatasaray 61 (13)
2019–2021 Al-Ittihad 28 (5)
2019–2020Fenerbahçe (loan) 26 (4)
2021–2023 Olympiacos 37 (7)
2023–2024 Ankaragücü 23 (2)
2024–2025 Sivasspor 27 (4)
2025– Apollon Limassol 0 (0)
International career
2013– Cape Verde 48 (8)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 June 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 January 2024

Garry Mendes Rodrigues (born 27 November 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Cypriot First Division club Apollon Limassol. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Cape Verde national team.

Contents

In February 2013, Rodrigues announced that he would like to represent Cape Verde, [1] and made his debut in August 2013. [2] He represented the side at the 2015 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

He formerly played for PAOK, Elche CF, XerxesDZB, FC Boshuizen, ADO Den Haag, Dordrecht, Levski Sofia and Galatasaray.

He is a cousin of Jerson Cabral.

Club career

As a youth player Rodrigues played for Feyenoord and Portuguese Real Sport Clube.[ citation needed ]

Rodrigues joined Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag from amateur FC Boshuizen on 16 May 2012, signing a 1+1 years contract. [3] In July, he was loaned out to Eerste Divisie club Dordrecht. Rodrigues made his league debut in a 1–1 away draw against Emmen on 10 August, playing the full 90 minutes. [4]

Levski Sofia

On 11 February 2013, Rodrigues signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Bulgarian club Levski Sofia. [5] He made his debut away at Chernomorets Burgas in a 2–0 win on 3 March. On 13 March, he scored his first goal for Levski in the 22nd minute of a Bulgarian Cup quarter-final first leg tie against Litex Lovech. [6] On 20 April, in a 2–1 away victory over Litex, Rodrigues netted his first league goal and assisted Hristo Yovov. [7]

On 21 July 2013, Rodrigues opened the scoring in Levski's first match of the 2013–14 A PFG season against Botev Plovdiv, but was subsequently sent off after an altercation with Veselin Minev. [8]

During the first half of the 2013–14 season Rodrigues scored 14 goals in total helping Levski Sofia to overcome several teams and progress to the 3rd place in the league ranking. He also scored a penalty in the 7–6 win after penalties against CSKA Sofia in a Bulgarian Cup Eternal Derby third round tie, eventually helping the team to reach the quarter-finals of the competition. The strong overall performance led to the interest of several European clubs. In January 2014, West Ham United sent an offer to Levski for a trial, but Rodrigues refused it, stating that he would only negotiate with a team which is guaranteed to offer him a contract. [9]

Elche

On 27 January 2014, Rodrigues signed with Elche CF on a six-month loan through Promoesport (an investment fund linked to Gimnàstic de Tarragona), with a buyout clause. [10] [11] He made his La Liga debut on 1 March, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–0 home win over Celta de Vigo, [12] and scored his first goal in the category on 3 May, netting the game's only in an away success against Málaga CF. [13]

In the 2014 summer Rodrigues signed a four-year deal with the Valencian club, after his buyout clause was activated. [14] On 31 July 2015, he rescinded his link. [15]

PAOK

On 4 August 2015, Rodrigues signed a three-year contract with PAOK for an undisclosed fee. [16] On 23 September 2015, in a home derby game against AEK Athens he scored his first goal in Greek Super League. On 11 January 2016, PAOK turned down Al-Ahli Saudi FC's offer in the region of €1.7 million for Garry Rodrigues. [17] He finished the season with seven goals being the third scorer of the club.

On 24 November 2016, in a UEFA Europa League group stage away match against ACF Fiorentina, Rodrigues scored a late goal to give PAOK a 3–2 win. [18]

Galatasaray

On 9 January 2017, PAOK officially announced the transfer of Rodrigues to Galatasaray for a fee of €3.7 million. [19] In February 2018, he was linked with a move to Lyon, having scored five goals and made eight assists in 22 Süper Lig appearances since the start of the 2017–18 season.. [20]

He was contracted to Galatasaray until the summer of 2021.

Al-Ittihad

On 6 January 2019, Rodrigues joined Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia for a fee of €9m. [21]

Fenerbahçe

On 13 July 2019, Fenerbahçe announced the signing of Rodrigues on loan for 2 years from Al-Ittihad. [22]

Olympiacos

On 18 September 2021, Olympiacos F.C. officially announced the signing of Rodrigues on a three-year contract with €1 million annual fee, including bonuses. [23]

Ankaragücü

On 19 August 2023, he signed a two-year contract with Süper Lig club Ankaragücü. [24]

International career

Rodrigues received his first international call-up in August 2013 to play friendly match against Gabon on the 14th of that month. [25] He substituted Djaniny at halftime. [2] On 30 December 2013, Rodrigues appeared as a starter in the 1–4 loss against Catalonia in a friendly match, assisting his team's goal that was scored by Djaniny. [26] On 6 September 2014 he scored his first international goal in a 3–1 away win over Niger in Cape Verde's successful qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Rodrigues was included in their squad for the finals in Equatorial Guinea, but due to competition from Kuca, Djaniny and Júlio Tavares he played only in the goalless draw with Zambia, which confirmed their elimination from Group B. [27]

In January 2022, Rodrigues was a member of the Cape Verde squad that represented the nation at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. [28] He appeared in all four of the team's matches, assisting Júlio Tavares' winning goal in their opening fixture against Ethiopia [29] and scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with host nation Cameroon which ensured their qualification to the knockout stage. [30]

In December 2023, Rodrigues was named in Cape Verde's squad for his third Africa Cup of Nations – the 2023 tournament in the Ivory Coast. [31] On 14 January 2024, in Cape Verde's opening match against Ghana, he scored a 92nd minute goal to give the Tubarões Azuis a 2–1 win. [32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 March 2025 [33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinental [a] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dordrecht 2012–13 Eerste Divisie 20530235
Levski Sofia 2012–13 Bulgarian A Football Group 14354197
2013–14 211043202713
Total351397204620
Elche 2013–14 La Liga 10100101
2014–15 31210322
Total4131000423
PAOK 2015–16 Super League Greece 2662081367
2016–17 12300103226
Total389201845813
Galatasaray 2016–17 Süper Lig 16121182
2017–18 33951204010
2018–19 1231071204
Total611382917816
Al-Ittihad 2018–19 Saudi Professional League 9120111
2020–21 17410184
2021–22 200020
Total2853000315
Fenerbahçe (loan) 2019–20 Süper Lig26430294
Olympiacos 2021–22 Super League Greece19530225
2022–23 1826150293
Total3779150518
Ankaragücü 2023–24 Süper Lig19231223
2024–25 TFF First League 400040
Total2323100263
Sivasspor 2024–25 Süper Lig19410204
Career total32865421134540481

International

As of match played 20 March 2025 [34]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Cape Verde 201310
201461
201571
201640
201752
201830
201921
202020
202141
202271
202350
202471
202510
Total548
Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rodrigues goal.
List of international goals scored by Garry Rodrigues
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
16 September 2014 Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey, NigerFlag of Niger.svg  Niger 1–03–1 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [35]
213 June 2015 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape VerdeFlag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe 3–07–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [36]
35 September 2017 Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South AfricaFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 1–02–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification [37]
42–0
518 November 2019 Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape VerdeFlag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 1–02–2 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [38]
67 October 2021 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, GhanaFlag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 2–12–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification [39]
717 January 2022 Olembe Stadium, Yaoundé, CameroonFlag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 1–11–1 2022 Africa Cup of Nations [40]
814 January 2024 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory CoastFlag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 2–12–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [41]

Honours

Levski Sofia

Galatasaray

Olympiacos

Individual

References

  1. "Garry Mendes Rodrigues interview". Criolo Sports. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 Cape Verde vs. Gabon report Archived 2 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Portuguese)
  3. "Garry Mendes Rodrigues tekent contract bij ADO Den Haag" (in Dutch). groengeelhart.nl. 16 May 2012.
  4. "Emmen 1–1 Dordrecht". groengeelhart.nl. 10 August 2012.
  5. "Гари Родригес подписа с Левски" (in Bulgarian). gong.bg. 11 February 2013.
  6. "Levski Sofia 1–0 Litex Lovech". Soccerway. 13 March 2013.
  7. "Левски прекъсна черната серия в Ловеч" (in Bulgarian). gong.bg. 20 April 2013.
  8. "Феноменален Неделев обърна "Левски", "Ботев" удари "сините" с 2:1" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg. 21 July 2013.
  9. "Йовов смъмри Родригес, навива го за пробите, холандецът си спечели сърдити погледи от шефовете" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg. 13 January 2014.
  10. "Levski winger Rodrigues joins Elche". sports.yahoo.com. 27 January 2014.
  11. "Garry Rodrigues viene cedido por parte del Nàstic de Tarragona" [Garry Rodrigues comes on loan from Nàstic de Tarragona] (in Spanish). Elche Diario. 3 February 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  12. "Elche 1-0 Celta Vigo". flashscore.com. 1 March 2014.
  13. "Away-day joy for Elche". Sky Sports. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  14. "Garry Rodrigues deja 'el gordo' en Tarragona" [Garry Rodrigues leaves 'the lottery' in Tarragona] (in Spanish). Diario Franjiverde. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  15. "Garry Rodrigues abandona el Elche C.F." [Garry Rodrigues leaves Elche C.F.] (in Spanish). 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015.
  16. "Ανακοίνωσε Ροντρίγκες ο ΠΑΟΚ". www.sport24.gr. 4 August 2015.
  17. "PAOK reject Al-Ahly bid for Garry Rodrigues". www.sdna.gr. 11 January 2016.
  18. "Φιορεντίνα-ΠΑΟΚ 2-3". www.sdna.gr. 24 November 2016.
  19. "PAOK resmen açıkladı: Garry Rodrigues'in Galatasaray'a transferi tamamlandı". www.sabah.com.tr. 9 January 2017.
  20. "OLYMPIQUE LYON KEEN ON GARRY RODRIGUES". africanfootball.com. 26 February 2018.
  21. "Galatasaray'da Garry Rodrigues Al İttihad'a transfer oldu". www.fanatik.com.tr. 6 January 2019.
  22. "Garry Rodrigues Fenerbahçemizde". fenerbahce.org. 13 July 2019.
  23. "Ολυμπιακός: Ανακοίνωσε τον Γκάρι Ροντρίγκες!". www.gazzetta.gr. 18 September 2021.
  24. "Garry Rodrigues Ankaragücü'müzde". ankaragucu.org.tr (in Turkish). 19 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  25. "Garry estreia-se no regresso de Ryan e Fernando Varela" [Garry debuts in the return of Ryan and Fernando Varela] (in Portuguese). SAPO Desporto. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  26. "Cataluña 4-1 Cabo Verde: Cataluña sentencia a Cabo Verde en tres minutos" (in Spanish). futbol.univision.com. 30 December 2013.
  27. "Cape Verde Islands 1-1 Zambia". BBC Sport. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  28. "Afcon 2021: Ethiopia and Cape Verde squads for finals in Cameroon". BBC Sport Africa. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  29. "Cape Verde sink 10-man Ethiopia in Africa Cup of Nations surprise". France 24. 9 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  30. "As it happened: Cape Verde fight back to hold Cameroon to surprise 1-1 draw". France 24. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  31. "Cape Verde name veterans Mendes, Vozinha in African Cup of Nations squad". Reuters. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  32. "Ghana 1-2 Cape Verde - Black Stars fall to late defeat". BBC Sport. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  33. Garry Rodrigues at Soccerway
  34. "Garry Rodrigues". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  35. "Niger vs. Cape Verde". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  36. "Cape Verde vs. Sao Tome and Principe". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  37. "South Africa vs. Cape Verde". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  38. "Cape Verde vs. Mozambique". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  39. "Liberia vs. Cape Verde". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  40. "Cameroon vs. Cape Verde". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  41. "Ghana vs. Cape Verde". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  42. "Η βράβευση των κορυφαίων από τον ΠΣΑΠ". ΠΣΑΠΠ | ΠΑΝΕΛΛΗΝΙΟΣ ΣΥΝΔΕΣΜΟΣ ΑΜΕΙΒΟΜΕΝΩΝ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΙΣΤΩΝ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΙΣΤΡΙΩΝ (in Greek). 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  43. Soliman, Seif (12 September 2018). "Mahmoud Trezeguet loses Player of the Year award to Bafetimbi Gomis". KingFut. Retrieved 31 January 2022.