Rodrigo Zalazar, born in Spain on 12 August 1999, is a central midfielder currently offering his services to Liga Portugal's SC Braga. At 26 years of age, Zalazar stands at 5ft 10in (1.78m) and weighs 11st 4lb (72kg). Lauding the number 10 jersey, he has carved a reputation for himself within European football circles. Transfermarkt rates his current market value around £15m.
Honing his skills as a trainee, Zalazar joined Malaga in Spain's Segunda División in July 2015. His talent was soon recognised by Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, where he transferred to in July 2019 from Malaga. The same year saw him heading to the Polish side, Korona Kielce, on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, and he made eight first team appearances during the debut season 2019 - 2020.
His subsequent stint came in 2020, as he was loaned out to St. Pauli, where he scored six goals over 34 league appearances during season 2020 - 2021. Following the St. Pauli loan, he stayed within the Bundesliga and joined Schalke 04 on loan in August 2021. His spell at Schalke 04 spanned across two seasons, where he managed six goals across 30 appearances in the first, and then scored once in 22 appearances during the 2022 - 2023 season. Zalazar's performance at Schalke 04 was impressive enough to warrant a permanent move to the club in July 2022 for a reported fee of around £1.4m.
The Spanish midfielder continued his journey through European football by transferring to SC Braga in Portugal's Liga Portugal in July 2023 for a fee of about £4.3m. His performance at his current club has been commendable, claiming ten goals across 87 appearances spread over three seasons so far, including his ongoing season 2025 - 2026.
His performances haven't gone unnoticed outside league football either. His efforts led to his participation in the Champions League 2023 - 2024 for SC Braga where he started on five occasions and came on as a substitute once. Apart from the Champions League, he also contributed significantly in the Europa League 2023 - 2024, with two starts. In the Europa League Qualifiers 2025 - 2026, he managed to tally an impressive four goals over five starts, and further took part in the Europa League 2025 - 2026 with an appearance as a starter and a substitute.
