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Nicolás Rodríguez (footballer, born 2004)

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Nicolás Rodríguez
Rodríguez with Orlando City in 2025
Personal information
Full name Nicolás Santiago Rodríguez Calderón
Date of birth (2004-04-25) 25 April 2004 (age 22)
Place of birth San José del Guaviare, Colombia
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 Atlético Nacional
(on loan from Orlando City)
Number 13
Youth career
2021–2022 Fortaleza CEIF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2025 Fortaleza CEIF 86 (15)
2025– Orlando City 12 (1)
2025 → Orlando City B (loan) 2 (0)
2026– → Atlético Nacional (loan) 21 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:34, 24 August 2026 (UTC)

Nicolás Santiago Rodríguez Calderón (born 25 April 2004) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Categoría Primera A club Atlético Nacional, on loan from Major League Soccer club Orlando City.

Early life

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Born in San José del Guaviare, Rodríguez moved to Bogotá in 2021 to join Fortaleza CEIF's youth sides.[1]

Club career

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Fortaleza CEIF

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Rodríguez made his first team debut on 12 October 2021, coming on in the 81st-minute for Carlos Lucumí in a 0–0 Categoría Primera B home draw against Boyacá Chicó.[2][3] After also featuring rarely in the 2022 season, Rodríguez became an undisputed starter in the 2023 campaign, scoring his first senior goal on 9 April of that year, in a 1–0 away win over Cortuluá.[4] He scored a further seven goals as the club achieved promotion to the top tier.

Rodríguez remained a starter in 2024, becoming a key unit for Fortaleza.[5][6] Rodríguez scored his first goal in the Colombian top tier on 11 February when he scored the second goal of a 2–0 win over Atlético Junior.[7] On 9 April, Rodríguez scored his first and only non-league goal for the club when he netted the deciding goal of a 2–1 victory over Once Caldas in the first leg on their tie in the second stage of the 2024 Copa Colombia.[8]

Orlando City

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On 17 January 2025, Rodríguez was signed by Major League Soccer club Orlando City as a U22 initiative player through 2027 with a club option for 2028.[9] On the opening game of the season, Rodríguez made his debut for the club when he came on as an 80th-minute substitute for Iván Angulo in a 2–4 loss to Philadelphia Union.[10] On 13 July, Rodríguez started a game with Orlando City B, the reserve affiliate of Orlando City, playing the first half of the match as Orlando City B defeated Carolina Core 3–1.[11] On 16 August, Rodríguez scored his first goal for the team to close out a 3–1 home win over Sporting Kansas City.[12]

Loan to Atlético Nacional

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On 8 January 2026, Rodríguez returned to Colombia, and signed on loan to Liga DIMAYOR club Atlético Nacional through the 2026 season with an option to buy.[13] Rodríguez made his debut for the club on 17 January when he came on as a 66th-minute substitute for Andrés Sarmiento in a 4–0 win against Boyacá Chicó.[14] On 4 March, Rodríguez scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 loss to Millonarios in the Copa Sudamericana.[15] Following Rodríguez's suspension on 24 March by Atlético Nacional for an alleged sexual assault nine days earlier, Atlético Nacional manager Diego Arias confirmed on 23 April that Rodríguez had begun training with the squad again.[16] On 1 May, Rodríguez made his first appearance since the allegations as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Once Caldas.[17][18]

Personal life

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On 24 March 2026, Rodríguez was suspended by Atlético Nacional after a 19-year-old woman accused him and at least one other man of sexually assaulting her in Rionegro after she became intoxicated at a nightclub on 15 March. In the criminal complaint filed four days after the alleged incident, the woman alleges that she was contacted by the men through Instagram, and after she became too intoxicated to defend herself at the nightclub, she was brought to an apartment in Rionegro and sexually assaulted by Rodríguez and the other men. After the alleged assault, she sought treatment at a medical center.[19][20] The woman's lawyers made public alleged text messages between her and Rodríguez in which Rodríguez allegedly asked her to have an intimate encounter with him and another man at the same time before the alleged rape, to which she refused. Her lawyer also shared text messages allegedly showing another player reaching out to her to try to prevent the situation between her and Rodríguez from escalating.[21] Rodríguez's lawyer, Luis Felipe Henríquez del Castillo, said that he and Rodríguez "emphatically reject the complaint" and that "the accusations do not conform to the reality of what happened".[19][20]

Career statistics

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As of 23 August 2026[22]
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Fortaleza CEIF 2021 Categoría Primera B 3000——30
2022 Categoría Primera B 2000——20
2023 Categoría Primera B 44820——468
2024 Categoría Primera A 37751——428
Total 86 15 7 1 — — 93 16
Orlando City 2025 Major League Soccer 12 1 1 0 — 4[b] 0 17 1
Orlando City B (loan) 2025 MLS Next Pro 2 0 — — — 2 0
Atlético Nacional (loan) 2026 Categoría Primera A 21 0 1 1 1[c] 1 — 23 2
Career total 1211791114013519
  1. ↑ Includes Copa Colombia and U.S. Open Cup
  2. ↑ Appearances in Leagues Cup
  3. ↑ Appearance in Copa Sudamericana

References

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  1. ↑ "Nicolás Rodríguez, del San José del Guaviare a figura con Fortaleza: sueña con el título" [Nicolás Rodríguez: from San José del Guaviare to Fortaleza's star man: he dreams with title] (in Spanish). Caracol Televisión. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  2. ↑ "¡No se hicieron daño! Fortaleza y Boyacá Chicó firmaron el empate en el estadio de Techo" [They did not harm each other! Fortaleza and Boyacá Chicó end up drawing at the Estadio de Techo] (in Spanish). Win Sports. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "Fortaleza CEIF vs. Boyacá Chicó". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Fortaleza sorprendió al líder del Torneo BetPlay, Cortuluá" [Fortaleza surprised the leaders of the Torneo BetPlay, Cortuluá] (in Spanish). Win Sports. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "Nicolás Rodríguez expresó su deseo de jugar en Millonarios" [Nicolás Rodríguez expressed his desire to play for Millonarios] (in Spanish). El Deportivo. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "Figura de Fortaleza interesa en dos grandes del FPC, pero del exterior lo quieren" [Fortaleza's key man is a target of two big clubs from Colombian professional football, but is wanted abroad] (in Spanish). El Deportivo. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  7. ↑ "Fortaleza CEIF vs. Junior". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Fortaleza CEIF vs. Once Caldas". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Orlando City SC acquires winger Nicolás Rodríguez". Orlando City. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Philadelphia 4–2 Orlando". ESPN. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  11. ↑ "Match Report: Orlando City B powers through Carolina Core FC 3-1". Orlando City B. 13 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "Match report: Orlando City SC storms past Sporting Kansas City 3-1". Orlando City. 17 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "Orlando City SC loans forward Nicolás Rodríguez to Atlético Nacional S.A." Orlando City. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Estrada, Santiago Alejandro Galeano (18 January 2026). "Fecha 1: Debut, goleada e ilusión". Vavel (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Vea el gol de Nicolás Rodríguez, con Nacional vs. Millonarios, por la Copa Sudamericana". Noticias Caracol. 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  16. ↑ Montenegro, Julio (23 April 2026). "Esto dijo el DT de Nacional tras la nueva prueba que apareció contra Nicolás Rodríguez en Fiscalía". Bolavip (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Marín, Luz Élida Molina (29 April 2026). "Nicolás Rodríguez sería la gran novedad de Atlético Nacional para el duelo ante Once Caldas este viernes". El Colombiano. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "ONC 1-0 NAC". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  19. 1 2 Martínez, Lucas (25 March 2026). "Atlético Nacional apartó a Nicolás Rodríguez por denuncia de presunto abuso sexual". Asuntos Legales (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  20. 1 2 Garzón, Fernando Camilo (25 March 2026). "La respuesta de Nicolás Rodríguez tras la denuncia por presunto abuso sexual en la Fiscalía". El Espectador (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Gómez, John Eric (25 March 2026). "Nuevos detalles y chats revelados en el caso contra el jugador de Nacional, Nicolás Rodríguez, avivan el debate". El Colombiano (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  22. ↑ Nicolás Rodríguez at Soccerway. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
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