Rodrigo Meléndez
Encyclopedia
Rodrigo David Meléndez Araya (born 3 October 1977 in Santiago
) is Chile
an footballer who plays for Chilean Primera División team Deportes Iquique. He mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. Meléndez is a hard tackling player and in his prime was widely regarded as the best footballer of Chile in 2003.
During his football career, he won eight Chilean league titles with Colo-Colo
and Cobreloa
. He has also been capped by Chile
for the Copa América
of 2004
and 2007
.
youth ranks at 12 in 1990, after of be rejected by the Chilean biggest clubs Colo-Colo
and Universidad de Chile. After six years in Cobreloa youth ranks, he was promoted to the club first professional team in 1996.
With the pass of time, he was a regular in the team's starting XI. In the season 2003, Meléndez had an excellent season, winning the Torneo de Apertura title and also being named the Chilean Footballer of the Year
.
Meléndez was a frequently in Quilmes' starting XI, making a good season and also his team surprised to many Argentine fans for finish in the 4th position in the Apertura of this year and the Clausura 2004. Finally, Meléndez had 32 appearances with Quilmes in total, after making his move to Estudiantes de La Plata
, an Argentine biggest club.
This club signed Meléndez for the next two seasons. During his stay with the club and with the pass of time, he become of fans favourite player, according to many supporters of Estudiantes. The club finished fourth in both tournaments, the Torneo Apertura 2004 and Torneo Clausura 2005. In the next tournament, he acted in few occasions.
After several negotiations between Colo-Colo
and Estudiantes, the club reached an agreement for Meléndez in a one-year loan contract with the club. He made his club debut on 25 February 2006 in a 4–1 win against Palestino, and scored his first goal against Santiago Morning. Meléndez played his first derby against Universidad de Chile in a 3–1 away win. The club finished in the first place of the table, qualifying to the playoffs and to the Copa Sudamericana
. Colo-Colo also proclaimed champion of the league, defeating to the archirival Universidad de Chile on penalties.
In the second semester, the club once completed an excellent season, winning the second league title of the Torneo de Apertura, in where Meléndez scored the last goal in the first leg final 3–0 home win to Audax Italiano at Estadio Monumental
. The club also was runner-up of the Copa Sudamericana, after of loss the final for a 3–2 aggregate loss against Pachuca, including Meléndez was a starter during all tournament.
During December 2006 and January 2007, was supposed that Meléndez would return to Argentina, but he remained in Colo-Colo for the next season after several negotiation.
In December 2010, it was announced that Meléndez, along with his team-mate Arturo Sanhueza
, with who make a dupla, would leave Colo-Colo on a free transfer after his contract was not renewed.
for the second semester.
in Sidney but missed the competition due to injury. He was part of Nelson Acosta
's preolympic team that went on to win the Olympic bronze medal.
http://www.terra.cl/deportes/index.cfm?accion=futbolnacional&id_reg=593408
Meléndez made his international debut on July 1, 2001 against Brazil
. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
, Meléndez was a regular starter for Chile during the first-half of the tournament. However, a defensive-midfielder duo of Claudio Maldonado and David Pizarro
relegated Melendez to the bench. Chile failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
after drawing to Ecuador in the last game.
After being absent from the national team in the friendly games played throughout 2006, Kalule returned to be considered a starter in 2007 Copa América but an injury sent him out of the field halfway through the second game. Chile was eliminated from the tournament before Melendez could recover and he has not been called up again since.
Meléndez lone goal with La Roja came against Uruguay in a 2-1 loss in Montevideo.
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
) is Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an footballer who plays for Chilean Primera División team Deportes Iquique. He mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. Meléndez is a hard tackling player and in his prime was widely regarded as the best footballer of Chile in 2003.
During his football career, he won eight Chilean league titles with Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...
and Cobreloa
Cobreloa
Club de Deportes Cobreloa is a Chilean football club from the Atacama Desert mining city of Calama which has established itself as one of the country's most competitive clubs. The club was founded on January 7, 1977 and play in the Chilean top flight, the Primera División, where they have played...
. He has also been capped by Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
for the Copa América
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
of 2004
Copa América 2004
The Copa América 2004 was the 41st edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and was held in Peru, who hosted the tournament for the sixth time,...
and 2007
Copa América 2007
The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams...
.
Cobreloa
Meléndez joined CobreloaCobreloa
Club de Deportes Cobreloa is a Chilean football club from the Atacama Desert mining city of Calama which has established itself as one of the country's most competitive clubs. The club was founded on January 7, 1977 and play in the Chilean top flight, the Primera División, where they have played...
youth ranks at 12 in 1990, after of be rejected by the Chilean biggest clubs Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...
and Universidad de Chile. After six years in Cobreloa youth ranks, he was promoted to the club first professional team in 1996.
With the pass of time, he was a regular in the team's starting XI. In the season 2003, Meléndez had an excellent season, winning the Torneo de Apertura title and also being named the Chilean Footballer of the Year
Chilean Footballer of the Year
Chilean Footballer of the Year is an award that the Circulo de Periodistas de Chile annually grants, to those Chilean soccer players who during the season of Primera División de Chile have obtained the greater amount of points, in agreement with the opinion of the editors of the agency.- Chilean...
.
Quilmes & Estudiantes
After his great season in Cobreloa, Meléndez was signed by Argentine side Quilmes for play the Torneo de Apertura 2003. He made his league debut with club on 3 August, in a 3–1 win to Atlético Rafaela.Meléndez was a frequently in Quilmes' starting XI, making a good season and also his team surprised to many Argentine fans for finish in the 4th position in the Apertura of this year and the Clausura 2004. Finally, Meléndez had 32 appearances with Quilmes in total, after making his move to Estudiantes de La Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, 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 history....
, an Argentine biggest club.
This club signed Meléndez for the next two seasons. During his stay with the club and with the pass of time, he become of fans favourite player, according to many supporters of Estudiantes. The club finished fourth in both tournaments, the Torneo Apertura 2004 and Torneo Clausura 2005. In the next tournament, he acted in few occasions.
2006 season
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...
and Estudiantes, the club reached an agreement for Meléndez in a one-year loan contract with the club. He made his club debut on 25 February 2006 in a 4–1 win against Palestino, and scored his first goal against Santiago Morning. Meléndez played his first derby against Universidad de Chile in a 3–1 away win. The club finished in the first place of the table, qualifying to the playoffs and to the Copa Sudamericana
Copa Sudamericana
The Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes , known simply as the Copa Sudamericana , is an annual international club football competition organized by the CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second most prestigious club competition in South American football. CONCACAF clubs were invited between 2004...
. Colo-Colo also proclaimed champion of the league, defeating to the archirival Universidad de Chile on penalties.
In the second semester, the club once completed an excellent season, winning the second league title of the Torneo de Apertura, in where Meléndez scored the last goal in the first leg final 3–0 home win to Audax Italiano at Estadio Monumental
Estadio Monumental David Arellano
Estadio Monumental is a football stadium in Santiago, Chile. Completed in 1989, the stadium has a current spectator capacity of 45,000. Originally, the stadium could hold up to 65,000 spectators but that was dramatically reduced for security reasons...
. The club also was runner-up of the Copa Sudamericana, after of loss the final for a 3–2 aggregate loss against Pachuca, including Meléndez was a starter during all tournament.
During December 2006 and January 2007, was supposed that Meléndez would return to Argentina, but he remained in Colo-Colo for the next season after several negotiation.
Later years
After the successful season of the last season, Melendez was a key player in the bichampionship of his team, which together with the other two titles won in 2006, Colo-Colo achieved the tetra-championship, an historic event in the Chilean football. In the next seasons, Mélendez was treated for "responsible" for the bad seasons of his team, except in the titles of the 2008 Clausura and 2009 Clausura, in where otherwise, he was considered as the leader of both titles.In December 2010, it was announced that Meléndez, along with his team-mate Arturo Sanhueza
Arturo Sanhueza
Héctor Arturo Sanhueza Medel is football player, who currently plays for Chilean club Deportes Iquique as a defensive midfielder.....
, with who make a dupla, would leave Colo-Colo on a free transfer after his contract was not renewed.
Deportes Iquique
On 16 January 2011, Meléndez and Sanhueza signed a one year contract with Deportes Iquique, with the major objective of make a good Copa SudamericanaCopa Sudamericana
The Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes , known simply as the Copa Sudamericana , is an annual international club football competition organized by the CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second most prestigious club competition in South American football. CONCACAF clubs were invited between 2004...
for the second semester.
International career
Meléndez would have been a part of the 2000 Chilean Olympic teamFootball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
in Sidney but missed the competition due to injury. He was part of Nelson Acosta
Nelson Acosta
Nelson Bonifacio Acosta López, nicknamed Pelado Acosta and "El Ratón" , is a former Uruguayan football player. He became a nationalized Chilean in 1984 and is currently a football coach.He managed the national team of Chile from 1996 to 2001, leading them to the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
's preolympic team that went on to win the Olympic bronze medal.
http://www.terra.cl/deportes/index.cfm?accion=futbolnacional&id_reg=593408
Meléndez made his international debut on July 1, 2001 against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for South America. 10 teams took part, all in a single group. The rules were very simple: the teams would play against each other in a home-and-away basis, with the four teams with most points qualifying to...
, Meléndez was a regular starter for Chile during the first-half of the tournament. However, a defensive-midfielder duo of Claudio Maldonado and David Pizarro
David Pizarro
David Marcelo Pizarro Cortés is a Chilean football Midfielder. Pizarro. He also plays for the Chile national team, for which he won the Bronze medal at 2000 Summer Olympics, at Sydney...
relegated Melendez to the bench. Chile failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
after drawing to Ecuador in the last game.
After being absent from the national team in the friendly games played throughout 2006, Kalule returned to be considered a starter in 2007 Copa América but an injury sent him out of the field halfway through the second game. Chile was eliminated from the tournament before Melendez could recover and he has not been called up again since.
Meléndez lone goal with La Roja came against Uruguay in a 2-1 loss in Montevideo.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 November 2003 | Montevideo Montevideo Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento... , Uruguay Uruguay Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area... |
2–1 | Loss | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
Titles
| Season | Club | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Apertura 2003 | Cobreloa Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa is a Chilean football club from the Atacama Desert mining city of Calama which has established itself as one of the country's most competitive clubs. The club was founded on January 7, 1977 and play in the Chilean top flight, the Primera División, where they have played... |
Primera Division Chile Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking... Champion |
| Apertura 2006 | Colo-Colo Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo... |
Primera Division Chile Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking... Champion |
| Clausura 2006 | Colo-Colo Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo... |
Primera Division Chile Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking... Champion |
| Apertura 2007 | Colo-Colo Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo... |
Primera Division Chile Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking... Champion |
| Clausura 2007 | Colo-Colo Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo... |
Primera Division Chile Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking... Champion |