Kevin Rodríguez (footballer, born 2000)

Kevin José Rodríguez Cortez (born 4 March 2000) is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays as a forward for Belgian Pro League club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and the Ecuador national team.

Imbabura
Born in Ibarra, Rodríguez joined hometown side Imbabura at the age of 13. He progressed through the youth setup until making his first team debut in 2017, featuring in two matches as his club was relegated from the Serie B.

Rodríguez started to feature more regularly in 2018, scoring seven times in the national stage of the Segunda Categoria. After scoring 11 goals overall during the 2019 season, he only scored once in five matches in 2020. In 2021, he only scored twice as his side returned to the second level.

Rodríguez became a regular starter for Imbabura in the 2022 Serie B, scoring ten times as his side finished fifth. In the 2022 Copa Ecuador, he notably scored the winner to knock out LDU Quito in the round of 16.

Independiente del Valle
On 2 December 2022, Independiente del Valle announced the signing of Rodríguez.

Union Saint-Gilloise
On 1 September 2023, Belgian Pro League club Union Saint-Gilloise announced the signing of Rodríguez on a 4-year deal, with an option for an additional year.

Rodriguez made his debut as a substitute in Union's opening UEFA Europa League group game against Toulouse on 20 September 2023, which Union drew 1-1.

Mainly used in his first few months in Belgium as a substitute opposed to being a regular starter, Rodriguez missed a last-minute penalty against Club Brugge on 5 November - Union still held on to win 2-1 - with Rodriguez scoring twice in Union's next game, a 3-0 win over lowly Kortrijk.

Rodriguez played in Union's 2-1 win over Liverpool in their final Europa League group game to progress to the knockout stages of the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League.

International career
Rodríguez was called up to the Ecuador national team for the first time in November 2022, as part of a preparation match against Iraq ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup later that month. He made his debut in the match, which finished as a 0–0 draw, coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute for José Cifuentes. Two days later, he was included by coach Gustavo Alfaro in Ecuador's squad for the World Cup.

On 12 October 2023, Rodríguez scored his first international goal – a 96th minute winner against Bolivia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.