João Rodrigo Silva Santos (8 November 1977 – c. 29 October 2013), known as just João Rodrigo, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Rodrigo Silva Santos | ||
| Date of birth | 8 November 1977 | ||
| Date of death | c. 29 October 2013 (aged 35) | ||
| Place of death | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward[1] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2005 | Bangu | 101 | (30) |
| 1998–1999 | → Olimpia (loan) | ||
| 1999 | → Nacional-SP (loan) | ||
| 2000 | → Atlético Sorocaba (loan) | ||
| 2003 | → Öster (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Madureira | ||
| 2005 | Remo | ||
| 2005 | Volta Redonda | ||
| 2006–2007 | Boavista | ||
| 2008 | Tigres do Brasil | ||
| 2008–2009 | Duque de Caxias | ||
| 2009 | Olaria | ||
| 2009 | Botafogo-DF | ||
| 2010 | Bonsucesso | ||
| 2013 | Sampaio Corrêa-RJ | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
João Rodrigo played for Brazilian clubs Bangu, Madureira, Duque de Caxias, Remo, Volta Redonda, Tigres, Duque de Caxias, Olaria, Botafogo (DF) and Bonsucesso.[3] He also spent a short time in Honduras with Olimpia.[4] In 2003, he played briefly for Swedish club Öster, where he played six matches and scored one goal in Allsvenskan.[5][6]
Death
João Rodrigo was murdered by suspected drug traffickers on 29 October 2013, aged 35, in Rio de Janeiro. He did not return home that night. When his wife opened the door on her way to work the next morning, she found his severed head on the step of their front and, according to the police, inside a backpack. His eyes and tongue had been gouged out, according to Brazilian media reports.[1]