Cristian Rodriguez ‘defects’ from Benfica to FC Porto

Dragons swoop for Uruguayan ahead of bitter rivals

FC Porto have done it again. The Dragons have swooped for Uruguayan international Cristian “The Onion” Rodriguez, signing the player from Paris Saint-Germain from under the noses of bitter rivals, Benfica, for a transfer fee of seven million euros.

The midfielder who played for Benfica on loan last season, could not come to terms over a contract with the Eagles and has opted to ‘defect’ to the three time champions after talks broke down with the Lisbon club.

Rodriguez, who arrived on loan last season via PSG, had made a positive impact with the Benfica board and their fans and was believed to be lined up to sign a long-term deal with club.

But, according to Benfica, the parities could not come to a consensus over a deal due to the player’s “excessive demands”. The Lisbon outfit issued a statement on their website stating that they were no longer interested in signing the player as Rodriguez was refusing to yield any ground in the negotiation process.

Porto, who have paid close attention to the proceedings, wasted little time and signed the 22-year-old straight away during a secret meeting in Milan.

Precedents

Rodriguez, who scored six goals in 24 appearances for Benfica, is the third player in recent history who has switched allegiances after Jankauskus and Sokota.

While these two strikers failed to make a big impression at the Estadio do Dragao, Benfica fans will be dreading the thought of Rodriguez making a similar impact to two other players who made the switch between the bitter rivals – Deco and Maniche.

Rodriguez joins Tomas Costa, Nelson Benitez and Rolando as the Dragons’ latest signings.


Related: Cristian Rodriguez PortuGOAL profile