Joe Rodon

Joe Rodon

Rodon with Wales at UEFA Euro 2020
Personal information
Full name	Joseph Peter Rodon [1]
Date of birth	(1997-10-22) 22 October 1997 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth	Swansea
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [2]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Leeds United
Number	6
Youth career
2005–2015	Swansea City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2020	Swansea City	52	(0)
2018	→ Cheltenham Town (loan)	12	(0)
2020–2024	Tottenham Hotspur	15	(0)
2022–2023	→ Rennes (loan)	16	(1)
2023–2024	→ Leeds United (loan)	43	(0)
2024–	Leeds United	10	(0)
International career‡
2015	Wales U19	2	(0)
2017	Wales U20	3	(0)
2016–2018	Wales U21	9	(0)
2019–	Wales	48	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:28, 19 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:00, 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Joseph Peter Rodon (born 22 October 1997) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Leeds United and the Wales national team.

A youth product of Swansea City, Rodon made 54 senior appearances for the club before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in October 2020. In 2022, Rodon helped Wales qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1958. ^[3]

Club career

Swansea City

Rodon grew up in Llangyfelach, Swansea, went to Llangyfelach Primary School, then Pontarddulais Comprehensive School. He was a Swansea City season ticket holder before joining the club at the age of eight in 2005. ^[4] He signed his first professional contract in July 2015 and was named on the first-team bench for the first time in January 2016 for the FA Cup tie with Oxford United. ^[4] He was then named on the first-team bench in the Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal in October 2017. Rodon played as captain of Swansea's under-23 team in a 2–1 win over Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy on 15 August 2017. ^[5]

On 30 January 2018, he joined League Two side Cheltenham Town on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season. ^[6] Manager Gary Johnson said that "we have been keeping an eye on him for some time and he is undoubtedly a quality player". ^[7]

Rodon returned to Swansea and was given his senior debut by manager Graham Potter ahead of the 2018–19 Championship season. He became a regular starter at the club and made 21 appearances the following season under new coach Steve Cooper.

Tottenham Hotspur

Rodon signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on 16 October 2020 for a fee of around £11 million on a five-year contract. ^{[8] [9]} Rodon made his Premier League debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 October 2020 after coming on as a substitute for Son Heung-min in the 93rd minute in the 1–0 win away against Burnley. ^[10] He made his first start for the club in the away match against Chelsea on 29 November as Toby Alderweireld was out injured, and helped keep a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. ^{[11] [12]}

Loan to Rennes

On 1 August 2022, it was announced that Rodon had joined French club Rennes on a year-long loan with an option to buy. ^{[13] [14]}

Leeds United

On 10 August 2023, Rodon joined Leeds United on a season-long loan from Tottenham. ^[15] He made his league debut for Leeds United on 12 August 2023, when he came on as a 92nd-minute substitute for Jamie Shackleton in a 1–0 defeat at Birmingham City. ^[16]

On 2 July 2024, Rodon returned to Leeds United, this time on a permanent transfer for a reported fee of £10m. ^[17]

International career

He was named in a preliminary senior Wales squad in May 2018 for a friendly against Mexico but was left out of the final selection. ^[18] He was called up for a competitive game for the first time for a September 2019 qualifier against Azerbaijan. ^[19] Rodon made his debut against Azerbaijan, playing all 90 minutes in a 2–1 win. ^[20] In May 2021 he was selected for the Wales squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. ^[21]

In November 2022, Rodon was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. ^[22] He went on to play every minute of Wales' campaign as the team drew with the United States and lost to Iran and England, finishing bottom of Group B. ^[23]

Style of play

Rodon is a ball-playing centre-back, and has earned comparisons to John Stones. ^[24]

Personal life

Rodon's father Keri played basketball for Wales. ^[25]

Rodon's grandfather Peter, and his uncle Chris Rodon were also professional footballers. ^[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 August 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Swansea City	2015–16 [27]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2016–17 [28]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2017–18 [29]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2018–19 [30]	Championship	27	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		28	0
	2019–20 [31]	Championship	21	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		21	0
	2020–21 [32]	Championship	4	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		5	0
	Total		52	0	1	0	1	0	—		—		54	0
Swansea City U23	2016–17 [28]	—			—		—		—		4 [lower-alpha 3]	0	4	0
	2017–18 [29]	—			—		—		—		4 [lower-alpha 3]	0	4	0
	Total		—		—		—		—		8	0	8	0
Cheltenham Town (loan)	2017–18 [29]	League Two	12	0	—		—		—		—		12	0
Tottenham Hotspur	2020–21 [32]	Premier League	12	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	—		14	0
	2021–22 [33]	Premier League	3	0	2	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	0	—		10	0
	2023–24	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	Total		15	0	4	0	1	0	4	0	—		24	0
Rennes (loan)	2022–23 [34]	Ligue 1	16	1	1	0	—		5 [lower-alpha 5]	0	—		22	1
Leeds United (loan)	2023–24 [35]	Championship	43	0	4	0	0	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 6]	0	50	0
Leeds United	2024–25 [36]	Championship	3	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		4	0
	Leeds total		46	0	4	0	1	0	—		3	0	54	0
Career total			141	1	10	0	3	0	9	0	11	0	174	1

1. Includes FA Cup, Coupe de France
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in EFL Trophy
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
6. Appearances in Championship play-offs

International

As of match played 14 October 2024 ^[37]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Wales	2019	4	0
	2020	6	0
	2021	12	0
	2022	11	0
	2023	8	0
	2024	6	0
Total		48	0

Honours

Swansea City U23

• Premier League Cup: 2016–17 ^[38]

References

1. "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
2. "Joe Rodon: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
3. "Wales-Ukraine | European Qualifiers 2022". UEFA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
4. Wathan, Chris (26 April 2016). "The talented youngsters pushing for first XI places". WalesOnline. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
5. "Cheltenham Town 1–2 Swansea City U21s". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
6. "Joe Rodon: Cheltenham Town sign Swansea City defender on loan". BBC Sport. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
7. "New Signing: Joe Rodon". Cheltenham Town F.C. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
8. "Joe Rodon completes move to Tottenham Hotspur". Swansea City A.F.C. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
9. "Joe Rodon: Tottenham sign Wales centre-back from Swansea for £11m". BBC Sport. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
10. Begley, Emlyn. "Burnley 0–1 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
11. Davies, Mathew (30 November 2020). "The unseen moment Tottenham's Jose Mourinho went 'crazy' at Joe Rodon vs Chelsea and his telling verdict". Wales Online.
12. Kilpatrick, Dan (29 November 2020). "Tottenham defender Joe Rodon vows to learn from Chelsea mistake after late let-off". Evening Standard.
13. "Rodon joins Rennes on loan". Tottenham Hotspur. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
14. "Joe Rodon est rouge et noir!" (in French). Stade Rennais. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
15. "Leeds complete signing of Joe Rodon on season-long loan from Tottenham". The Athletic. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
16. Scott, Ged (12 August 2023). "Birmingham City 1–0 Leeds United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
17. Wobschall, Leon (2 July 2024). "Leeds United transfers: 'Heartbroken' Leeds sell Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur for £40m as Joe Rodon joins for £10m". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
18. "Hal Robson-Kanu not included in Wales squad for Mexico friendly". BBC Sport. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
19. "Ashley Williams: Wales captain left out of squad for Euro 2020 qualifier". BBC Sport. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
20. "Wales 2–1 Azerbaijan". BBC Sport.
21. "Uncapped Colwill in Wales Euro 2020 squad". BBC Sport.
22. 2022 Wales World Cup squad
23. "Rodon – 2022 FIFA World Cup Player Bio and Stats". USA Today. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
24. "Celtic linked with Swansea defender Joe Rodon". Daily Record. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
25. "Rodon, Bale and the dream of more famous Wales fridge magnet moments | Elis James". the Guardian. 24 June 2021.
26. James, Stuart. "The story of Tottenham's new centre-back Joe Rodon, told by his parents". The Athletic.
27. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
28. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
29. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
30. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
31. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
32. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
33. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
34. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
35. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
36. "Games played by Joe Rodon in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
37. "Joe Rodon". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
38. "It's a perfect end to the season, says King". www.premierleague.com. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2023.

External links

• Profile at the Tottenham Hotspur F.C. website
• Joe Rodon – UEFA competition record ( archive ) 
• Joe Rodon – FIFA competition record (archived)