Vicente Rodríguez
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vicente Rodríguez Guillén | ||
| Position(s) | Midfield | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Valencia CF | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of ? | |||
Vicente Rodríguez Guillén, more commonly known simply as Vicente, (born July 16, 1981 in Valencia) is a Spanish football (soccer) midfielder who currently plays for Valencia CF.
He started his professional career at rival club Levante UD and made his debut for the club in the 1997/1998 season. After two seasons at the club, he signed on for Valencia CF in the summer of 2000 where his performances were lauded but he faced tight competition operating on his favourite left winger position, then occupied by Kily Gonzalez. Despite the serious contention for a first-team place, he managed to net 5 goals in the Primera Liga and made 13 appearances in the UEFA Champions League although he was left on the bench for the final against Bayern Munich.
The arrival of Rafael Benítez as coach in the 2001/2002 season would mark Vicente's opportunity to prove himself and he did not disappoint as his progress led to the club's first league title in over 30 years. The emergence of this quick-paced left midfielder signalled the end of Kily Gonzalez's career at Valencia.
The 2003/2004 season would perhaps be one of Vicente's finest seasons with the club as his energetic efforts propelled Los Ches to their second league title under Benítez and also European success with victory of the UEFA Cup. His runs down the left wing was vital to provide crosses for striker Mista to finish the goalscoring job just as right winger Rufete was doing at the opposite wing. In the 2004/2005 season, however, under the management of Claudio Ranieri, his forays into the left wing position appeared stagnated as Ranieri opted to favour fellow Italian left wingback Emiliano Moretti to provide support for him rather than to let him have a free role along the left. Further, injuries blighted his season and he spent much of the beginning of the season recuperating. His return to the club's starting eleven appeared to be too little too late as Ranieri was by then sacked and the club was struggling to find its once formidable form. Recently, he was also linked to Manchester United although his high transfer fees are likely to divert the English club's attentions elsewhere.
Meanwhile for his national team, Vicente has starred for the Spanish national team a total of 27 caps. He marked his debut for the national side in a FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Austria in September 2001 although he was overlooked for the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. Nevertheless, Vicente appeared in his first major tournament in the Template:Ec2 competition in Portugal although Spain's insipid performances meant that he had to be content with only playing in the group matches as he could not even assist his team to their expected quarter-final berth.