José Luis Rodríguez (footballer, born 1998)


José Luis Rodríguez Francis is a Panamanian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Spanish club Deportivo Alavés B and the Panama national team.

Personal life

Rodríguez grew up in El Chorrillo, Panama City and is the brother of retired Chorrillo captain Marcos Villarreal. He was nicknamed "Cocobolo" at a young age for his short hair.

Club career

Rodríguez played for hometown club Chorrillo in his youth. In the 2015–16 season of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol, he made his debut on 17 July 2015 in a 0–1 away loss against Atlético Chiriquí. His first and only goal of the season came on 2 April 2016 in a 3–2 away win against Alianza, scoring the winning goal for Chorrillo in the 90th minute. In 2016, Rodríguez moved to the under-21 team of Belgium club Gent on loan with an option to buy. On 9 December 2016, Gent signed Rodríguez on a permanent deal, with a contract lasting until 2019. In September 2018 he signed for Croatian club Istra 1961.
On 1 February 2019, Rodríguez joined Deportivo Alavés and would play for their B-team.

International career

Rodríguez was called up to the Panama under-17 team in 2014, scoring on 3 March 2015 against Haiti in the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.
On 14 May 2018, Rodríguez was included in Panama's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the country's first ever FIFA World Cup. Rodríguez made his international debut for Panama on 29 May 2018 in a 0–0 friendly home draw against Northern Ireland. The following day, Rodríguez was included in Panama's final 23-man World Cup squad.
Rodríguez made his World Cup debut in Panama's opening match on 18 June 2018 in a 0–3 loss to Belgium, starting the match before being substituted in the 63rd minute for Ismael Díaz.

Career statistics

International