Rodrigo Battaglia

Rodrigo Andrés Battaglia (; ; born 12 July 1991) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defender for Argentine Primera División club Boca Juniors.

Club career

Battaglia was born and raised in Argentina and is of Italian descent. He spent time in the youth divisions of Vélez Sársfield and Almagro before joining Huracán. He made his professional debut aged 19 in a 3–0 away defeat to Racing Club in the Primera División on 3 October 2010. His first goal for the club came on 26 March 2011 in a 2–0 win against Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata.

In January 2014, Battaglia joined S.C. Braga in Portugal, playing 26 games for the club with loan spells in the middle at fellow Primeira Liga sides Moreirense and Chaves, and at his homeland club Rosario Central.

On 15 May 2018, Battaglia and several of his teammates, including coaches, were injured following an attack by around 50 supporters of Sporting at the club's training ground after the team finished third in the league and missed out on the UEFA Champions League qualification. Despite the attack, he and the rest of the team agreed to play in the Portuguese Cup final scheduled for the following weekend, which they lost to C.D. Aves.

On 27 August 2020, he went to Deportivo Alavés on loan.

On 12 August 2021, Battaglia joined Mallorca on a season-long loan. On 29 July 2022, he joined Mallorca permanently, signing a two-year deal.

On 1 April 2023, Battaglia joined Brazilian Série A side Atlético Mineiro, signing a contract until December 2024. On 30 November 2023, he extended his contract with the club until December 2025. In 2024, he was included in El País' South American Team of the Year, playing as a central defender in coach Gabriel Milito's 3-5-2 formation in Atlético's runners-up campaign at the Copa Libertadores.

On 21 January 2025, Battaglia joined Boca Juniors on a three-year deal.

International career

Battaglia played nine games for the Argentina U-20 team in the 2011 South American Youth Championship held in January and February 2011 in Peru. The team finished third in this tournament, qualifying for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in July and August 2011 in Colombia. Battaglia appeared in four out of five tournament matches, before the team was eliminated in the quarter-final by Portugal.

In May 2018 he was named in Argentina's preliminary 35 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he was not included the final 23 man squad selected by coach Jorge Sampaoli.

On 11 September 2018, Battaglia made his debut in the senior team in a 0–0 draw friendly match against the Colombia national football team.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Sporting CP
* Taça da Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19

Atlético Mineiro
* Campeonato Mineiro: 2023, 2024

Notes

References

External links

*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battaglia, Rodrigo
1991 births
Living people
Footballers from Morón Partido
Argentine men's footballers
Argentina men's international footballers
Argentina men's under-20 international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Club Atlético Huracán footballers
Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers
S.C. Braga players
S.C. Braga B players
Moreirense F.C. players
Rosario Central footballers
G.D. Chaves players
Sporting CP footballers
Deportivo Alavés players
RCD Mallorca players
Clube Atlético Mineiro players
Boca Juniors footballers
Argentine Primera División players
Primera Nacional players
Primeira Liga players
La Liga players
Argentine expatriate men's footballers
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent
21st-century Argentine sportsmen