Rodrigo Holgado

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Julián and the second or maternal family name is Holgado.

Rodrigo Holgado
Holgado with Audax Italiano in 2020.
Personal information
Full name Rodrigo Julián Holgado
Date of birth (1995-06-28) 28 June 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth La Tablada, Argentina
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Coquimbo Unido
(on loan from América de Cali)
Number 29
Youth career
2014–2015 San Lorenzo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 San Lorenzo 0 (0)
2014–2015 → Almagro (loan) 27 (2)
2016–2017 Orizaba 25 (17)
2017 Veracruz 3 (0)
2018 Coquimbo Unido 29 (18)
2019–2021 Audax Italiano 51 (16)
2021–2023 Gimnasia LP 12 (0)
2022 → Curicó Unido (loan) 26 (8)
2023 → Coquimbo Unido (loan) 27 (16)
2024– América de Cali 58 (17)
2026– → Coquimbo Unido (loan) 1 (0)
International career‡
2025 Malaysia 2 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 February 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 September 2025

Rodrigo Julián Holgado (born 28 June 1995) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chilean club Coquimbo Unido on loan from Colombian club América de Cali. He played for the Malaysia national team twice and was suspended from all football related activities after being sanctioned by FIFA in September 2025 for forging documents related to his Malaysian ancestry;[1] however, Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued provisional measures on 26 January 2026 to suspend (stay, in legal terms) the sanction until a final CAS decision is rendered.[2]

Club career

From 2017 to 2018, Holgado played in Mexico for Albinegros de Orizaba and Veracruz.[3]

In 2018, Holgado moved to Chile and joined Coquimbo Unido in the second level, winning the league title. In Chile, he also played for Audax Italiano and Curicó Unido before rejoining Coquimbo Unido in 2023 at the top division on loan from Argentine side Gimnasia La Plata.[4][5]

In 2024, he moved to Colombia and joined América de Cali.[6] In September 2025, América suspended Holgado following his sanction by FIFA.[7] On 26 January 2026, CAS provisionally ruled in favor of him[2][8] and returned to Coquimbo Unido by third time on 8 February on loan until June of the same year.[9][10]

International career

In preparation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, Holgado, who claimed Malaysian heritage, was called up to the Malaysian national team on 4 June.[11] Holgado faced criticism from Colombian sports journalist Eduardo Luis López for "abandoning his club duties" and accepting the Malaysia call-up purely based on "financial motivations". This was refuted by Holgado, who rebutted by stating that López was not qualified to comment as he was not a footballer. Colombian-born Syrian international Pablo Sabbag publicly supported Holgado's decision, emphasizing that "it is an honor to play for the national team".[12] Holgado made his international debut on 10 June 2025 in the match against Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, where he also scored his first international goal.[13]

In September 2025, however, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Holgado, and six other Malaysian heritage players were sanctioned by FIFA due to falsification and forgery of documents regarding the players' eligibility to play for Malaysia in the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam. In all seven cases, the players' Malaysian heritage was found to be false. As a result, each player was fined CHF 2,000 (around MYR 10,560) and suspended from all football related activities for 12 months. FAM have confirmed they will file an appeal against FIFA's sanctions.[14][15][7]

Personal life

Born in Argentina, Holgado claimed to be of Malaysian descent through his grandfather. However, FIFA released a statement that his grandfather was not born in nor has Malaysian ancestry, as the documentation submitted by Football Association of Malaysia was proven to be doctored.[16]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 31 May 2025[17]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Coquimbo Unido 2018 Primera B de Chile 4 3 0 0 0 0 4 3
Audax Italiano 2019 Chilean Primera División 13 5 0 0 0 0 13 5
2020 Chilean Primera División 29 8 0 0 4[b] 3 33 11
2021 Chilean Primera División 9 3 0 0 0 0 9 3
Total 51 16 0 0 4 3 55 19
Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 2021 Argentine Primera División 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
Curicó Unido 2022 Chilean Primera División 26 8 0 0 0 0 26 8
Coquimbo Unido 2023 Chilean Primera División 27 16 0 0 0 0 27 16
América de Cali 2024 Categoría Primera A 30 10 7 0 1[b] 0 38 10
2025 Categoría Primera A 16 7 0 0 6[b] 1 22 8
Total 46 17 7 0 7 1 60 18
Career total 166 60 7 0 11 4 184 64
  1. ^ Includes Copa Colombia
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in Copa Sudamericana

International

As of match played 10 September 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Malaysia 2025 2 1
Total 2 1
Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Holgado goal.
List of international goals scored by Rodrigo Holgado
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 June 2025 Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia  Vietnam 2–0 4–0 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

Honours

Coquimbo Unido

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA sanctions Football Association of Malaysia and seven players". inside.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b "CAS hearing - Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) et al. v. FIFA". www.tas-cas.org. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Rodrigo Julián Holgado". LigaMX.net. LIGA BBVA Bancomer MX. 13 March 1999. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  4. ^ ""Vuelve a casa": Coquimbo Unido oficializó el regreso de Rodrigo Holgado". alairelibre.cl (in Spanish). Radio Cooperativa. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  5. ^ Encina, Camilo (8 December 2023). "La U y Colo Colo miran atentos: Coquimbo no compra a Holgado y este debe volver al fútbol argentino". RedGol (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ^ "El argentino Rodrigo Holgado llega a reforzar el ataque escarlata". America de Cali (in Spanish). 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b "HOLGADO TO FILE APPEAL TO FIFA". Bernama. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  8. ^ "El TAS falla a favor de Rodrigo Holgado y podrá jugar con el América". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 26 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  9. ^ @coquimbounidooficial; (8 February 2026). "🏴‍☠️ ¡EL TURRO RETORNA AL PUERTO SUPERCAMPEÓN! 💛🏆🖤" (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2026 – via Instagram.
  10. ^ "'El "Turro" regresa al puerto': Coquimbo Unido oficializa el retorno de Rodrigo Holgado". Diario El Día (in Spanish). 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  11. ^ "New heritage blood ready to fire up Harimau Malaya [WATCH]". nst.com.my. New Straits Times Berhad. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Holgado tempelak wartawan Colombia". sinarharian.com.my (in Malay). Karangkraf Group. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Match Report of Malaysia vs Vietnam - 2025-06-10 - AFC Asian Cup Qualification - Global Sports Archive".
  14. ^ "FIFA Sanctions On FAM: AFC Awaits Football Tribunal Verdict". Bernama. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  15. ^ Nair, Rohith; Latiff, Rozanna (26 September 2025). "Malaysian players banned after using forged documents to play qualifier v Vietnam". Reuters. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Malaysian players banned after using forged documents to play qualifier v Vietnam". Reuters. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  17. ^ Rodrigo Holgado at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodrigo_Holgado