Marco Gastón Ruben Rodríguez (born 26 October 1986) is an Argentine former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. He spent the better part of his 18-year career with

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central (), more commonly referred to as Rosario Central, or simply Central, is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on 24 December 1889, ...

, scoring 105 goals in all competitions. He also played in Spain, Ukraine, France, Mexico and Brazil. Ruben won one

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for the Argentina national team, in 2011.

Club career

Born in

Capitán Bermúdez Capitán Bermúdez is a city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, located within the metropolitan area of Greater Rosario, (north of Rosario, immediately north of Granadero Baigorria), on the western shore of the Paraná River. It had a populat ...

Santa Fe Province The Invincible Province of Santa Fe (, , lit. "Holy Faith") is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco Province, Chaco (divided by the 2 ...

, Ruben started his career with

in 2004. In the 2006 Apertura tournament he scored seven goals in 17 matches to be the team's top scorer, and this brought him to the attention of several major clubs in Argentina and Europe, with

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city's estuary, Río de la Plata. ...

eventually winning the battle and paying

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

7.5 million for his signature, alongside teammates Juan Ojeda and

Cristian Villagra Cristian Carlos Villagra (born 27 December 1985) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Club career Villagra began his career with Rosario Central in 2005, his form bringing him to the attention of River Plate ...

. After a short spell,

Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...

Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Villarreal, in the Province of Castellón, Castellón province of easte ...

purchased Ruben for $7 million in January 2008, immediately loaning him to fellow

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

side

Recreativo de Huelva Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in , holding home ...

until 30 June. He made his league debut in Spain on the 27th, appearing as a substitute and being booked in the 3–1 home loss against

Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. They compete in La Liga, the top tier of the Football in Spain, Spanish football. The team has pla ...

. The loan was renewed for the 2008–09 season, but Ruben scored just three times as the

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

ns were relegated. After returning to Villarreal, he spent the vast majority of the year with the reserves, which were having their

first experience ''First Experience'' is the debut studio album by Hong Kong singer Jason Chan released in 2007, released in 2007. This album marked the beginning of Jason Chan’s career in the music industry, showcasing his unique vocal style and musical talent. ...

in the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

. In mid-January 2010, Villarreal agreed to sell Ruben to

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

of the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

after the player had helped the reserves to the fourth place with nine league goals, good enough for joint-third. Although the player agreed personal terms with Wigan, the clubs could not reach an agreement and the deal fell through. Ruben played his first league game with Villarreal's main squad on 7 February 2010, more than two years after his purchase, appearing six minutes at

RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...

(1–0 loss). On 9 January of the following year, while starting in the place of injured Nilmar, he scored against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

to make it 2–1 for the

Valencians Valencians ( ; ) are the native people of the Valencian Community, in eastern Spain. Since 2006, the Valencian people are officially recognised in the Valencian Statute of Autonomy as a ''nationality'' "within the unity of the Spanish nation". ...

(his first goal for the first team), who were eventually defeated at the

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (, ) is a retractable roof association football, football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a seating capacity of around 83,000 following its extensive renovation completed in late 2024, the stadium has the second-largest ...

(4–2). On 13 July 2012, Ruben signed a five-year contract with Ukrainian club

FC Dynamo Kyiv The Football Club 'Dynamo Kyiv', also known as Dynamo Kyiv, or simply Dynamo, ( ) is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet ...

for a

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

14 million fee. He scored his first goal for his new team on 3 November, netting the first in a 2–0 home win over

SC Tavriya Simferopol Sports Club Tavriya () was a Ukrainian football club from Simferopol. Tavriya was a member of the Ukrainian Premier League from its founding and won the first Ukrainian Premier League 1992, Ukrainian Premier League making them one of three team ...

. After a spell in the French

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

with Thonon Évian F.C. where he failed to meet expectations as that particular type of football did not suit his style, Ruben joined

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

side

Tigres UANL Club Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, abbreviated as Tigres UANL and simply known as Tigres or internationally as Tigres de México, is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropo ...

on 18 June 2014 on a one-year loan from Dynamo. He made his competitive debut on 9 July, playing the whole of a 4–1 defeat to Monarcas Morelia in the

Supercopa MX Supercopa MX () was an association football competition in Mexico and the domestic super cup between the Copa MX champions of the ''Apertura'' and ''Clausura'' tournaments. Initially played in a two-legged and later with a single final match. It w ...

. Ruben returned to Rosario Central on 24 December 2014, initially on a temporary deal. He scored a career-best 21 goals in his

first year A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

(24 in all competitions) and was named

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

. On 11 January 2019, Ruben joined Brazil's

Club Athletico Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (abbreviated CAP, commonly known as Athletico Paranaense and up to 2019 known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian Football League Teams, Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the State ...

on a year-long loan. He retired on 7 May 2022 at the age of 35 after scoring for Rosario in the 3–1 win over

Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its histo ...

Estadio Gigante de Arroyito The Estadio Gigante de Arroyito () is a stadium in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe, Rosario, Argentina. It is owned by club Rosario Central, serving as home venue for association football, football matches. The Argentina national football team has p ...

, as the club's third all-time scorer with 105 goals. Ruben came out of retirement in November 2023, moving to

Deportivo Maldonado Club Deportivo Maldonado is a football club from Maldonado, Uruguay. They currently play in the Uruguayan Segunda División following their relegation from the Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American ...

of the

Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish , , local: , ''First Division''), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional Association football, football league in Uruguay organized b ...

. The following 26 May, he again returned to Rosario Central. On his return, he scored a 94th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 draw against

Club Atlético Lanús Club Atlético Lanús () is an Argentina, Argentine sports club based in Lanús, a city of the Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1915, the club's main sports are association football, football and basketball. In both sports, Lanús plays in Arge ...

. Ruben left the game for good on 14 December 2024, having helped the hosts defeat

Club Atlético Belgrano Club Atlético Belgrano (; mostly known simply as Belgrano or Belgrano de Córdoba ) is an Argentine sports club from the city of Córdoba, Argentina, Córdoba, best known for its Association football, football team, which currently plays in th ...

2–1.

International career

Ruben made his debut for

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

in an unofficial pre-

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

preparation match against

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

in February 2008, scoring once in a 5–0 win. His only official appearance took place on 5 June 2011 in a friendly with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and he netted the 1–1 equaliser in an eventual 2–1 loss.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ruben goal.''

Honours

Rosario Central *

Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The first editions ...

: 2017–18 Athletico Paranaense *

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil () is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

* J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruben, Marco 1986 births Living people People from San Lorenzo Department Argentine sportspeople of Spanish descent 21st-century Argentine sportsmen Argentine men's footballers Footballers from Santa Fe Province Men's association football forwards Argentine Primera División players Rosario Central footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers La Liga players Segunda División players Villarreal CF players Villarreal CF B players Recreativo de Huelva players Ukrainian Premier League players FC Dynamo Kyiv players Ligue 1 players Thonon Evian Grand Genève FC players Liga MX players Tigres UANL footballers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Club Athletico Paranaense players Uruguayan Primera División players Deportivo Maldonado players Argentina men's international footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in Uruguay Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Uruguay