Jorge Rojas (Venezuelan footballer)

Jorge Rojas
	Rojas with Venezuela in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Jorge Alberto Rojas Méndez
Date of birth	January 10, 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Mérida, Venezuela
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Left winger, left back
Youth career
1994	Universidad de Los Andes
1995	Unicol
1996	Mineros de Guayana
1997	Boca Juniors
Senior career*
Years	Team
1998–1999	Estudiantes Mérida
1999	Universidad de Los Andes
2000–2002	Caracas FC
2003	Emelec
2004	Caracas FC
2004–2006	Atlético Nacional
2006–2007	Caracas FC
2007	América de Cali
2008	UA Maracaibo
2008–2009	New York Red Bulls
2010–2011	Deportivo Táchira
2011–2013	Mineros de Guayana
2013	Aragua
2014	Metropolitanos
2015–2017	Deportivo Táchira
2018	ULA
2018–2019	Metropolitanos
2019	Yaracuy FC
International career
1999–2009	Venezuela
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:59, 30 November 2019 (UTC)

Jorge Alberto Rojas Méndez (born January 10, 1977, in Mérida) is a Venezuelan former footballer.

Career

Club

After playing for several small clubs in Venezuela, Rojas began to establish himself as one of the nations top players while at Caracas FC. Following his successful first stint at Caracas, which included two league titles, he joined Ecuadorean power Emelec in 2003. That season, he was selected as the top foreign player in the league. Rojas than briefly returned to Caracas before joining Colombian club Atlético Nacional. While at Nacional Rojas helped the club to the 2005 Apertura Championship, and was considered one of the top players in the league. ^{[citation needed]}

Following his successful stint with Nacional, Rojas returned for his third stint with Caracas FC guiding the club to back to back league titles in 2006 and 2007. At the conclusion of the 2007 campaign he returned to Colombia to play for América de Cali, while at Cali he appeared in 22 matches, notching 4 goals (3 from the penalty spot). Following the Colombian league season, Rojas was sold to Unión Atlético Maracaibo. He scored his first goal with Maracaibo in a 1-2 defeat to his former club Caracas FC. While at Maracaibo, Rojas participated in a famous 1-1 draw against Boca Juniors in the 2008 Copa Libertadores. He also led Maracaibo to the final of the Copa de Venezuela where his club would lose the series to Aragua Fútbol Club on away goals.

Rojas signed with New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in July 2008. He had two assists in his first game for the club against the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 19, 2008. He appeared in 11 regular season matches for New York, registering 5 assists. Following the Major League Soccer season it appeared that Rojas would go loan to Mineros de Guayana during the MLS off-season, however the move never materialized. In his next season with New York Red Bulls he would score two goals. But this form he produced would only come once. At the end of the season he was cut loose and returned to Venezuela to play for Deportivo Táchira.

He then later also played for Mineros de Guayana, Aragua and Metropolitanos.

On 27 December 2019, 42-year old Rojas announced his retirement from football.^[1]

International

Rojas started his career with the Venezuela National Team at the age of 14, when he joined the U-15 squad, coached by Ratomir Djukovic and then by Augusto Viso. Rojas went on to play at the Bolivarian Games and then to the South American Games in Colombia in 1993. Rojas continue through all the Natl Youth Teams until he finally was called up to the Senior Team. Rojas has earned 90 caps for the Venezuela national team, making him the second most capped player in the history of Venezuelan international football as of April 2009.^[2]

He made his international debut on January 27, 1999, in a friendly against Denmark. The match ended 1–1 and was played at Estadio José Pachencho Romero in Maracaibo.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	18 August 2004	Estadio de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain	Spain	1–1	3-2	Friendly
2.	3 February 2008	Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela	Haiti	1–0	1-0	Friendly
3.	20 August 2008	José Antonio Anzoátegui, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela	Syria	3–0	4-1	Friendly
Correct as of 7 October 2015^[3]

Honors

Universidad de Los Andes

Segunda División Venezolana: 1994–95

Caracas

Primera División Venezolana: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07
Copa de Venezuela: 2001

Atlético Nacional

Copa Mustang: 2005-I

Unión Atlético Maracaibo

Copa de Venezuela runner-up: 2008

New York Red Bulls

MLS Cup runner-up: 2008

Deportivo Táchira

Primera División Venezolana: 2010–11

Statistics

League	Appearances	Goals
Primera División Venezolana	106	23
Fútbol Profesional Colombiano	74	7
Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol	39	2
Copa Libertadores	29	3
Copa de Venezuela	6	2
Major League Soccer	31	2
US Open Cup	1	2