Rodinei Marcelo de Almeida (born 29 January 1992), simply known as Rodinei, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Santos.
Early life Born in Tatuí, São Paulo, Rodinei's father died before his birth, and his mother was deceased due to a brain tumor in 2002, turning him into an orphan at the age of only ten. He was then raised by his grandmother until her passing three years later, and went on to live with an uncle who were struggling with drug addiction.
Career Early career After training in social projects in his hometown, Rodinei started his career at the age of 17 with Videira Esporte Clube in the Campeonato Catarinense Série B. He moved to fellow league team Porto União in 2010, and had failed trials at Figueirense and Vitória before signing a professional contract with Avaí in 2011.
Initially a member of the under-20 squad, Rodinei was an unused substitute in a 3–1 away loss to Santos on 5 June 2011, and had his deal with Avaí renewed until 2015 afterwards. On 24 February 2012, he was loaned to Marcílio Dias for the year's Campeonato Catarinense, and made his senior debut two days later, in a 2–1 win over Atlético Ibirama.
On 22 May 2012, Rodinei joined Corinthians on loan for one year. A third-choice behind Alessandro and Guilherme Andrade, he made his Série A debut on 17 October, coming on as a late substitute for Willian Arão in a 2–0 away loss against Cruzeiro; it was his only appearance for the club before departing in March 2013.
On 3 May 2013, Rodinei extended his contract with Avaí and was immediately loaned to CRAC until the end of the year, being a regular starter in the club's Série C run. He then moved to Penapolense also in a temporary deal for the 2014 Campeonato Paulista, being an undisputed first-choice as his side reached the quarterfinals of the competition.
Ponte Preta On 1 July 2014, Rodinei signed for Ponte Preta on loan until the end of the year. He scored his first professional goal in only his second match for the club, in a 2–0 home defeat of Joinville for the Série B championship.
Rodinei contributed with two goals in 22 appearances for the side during his first year, helping in their top tier promotion. On 11 December 2014, he agreed to a new one-year contract with Ponte, now owned by a group of businessmen which assigned his federative rights to SEV Hortolândia. During the 2015 season, he was again an undisputed starter, only missing three league matches as his side achieved a comfortable 11th place.
Flamengo
On 10 December 2015, Flamengo announced the signing of Rodinei for the 2016 season. He made his debut for the club on 30 January, starting in a 1–1 Campeonato Carioca home draw against Boavista.
Rodinei quickly established himself as a first-choice under head coach Muricy Ramalho until July 2016, when an elbow injury sidelined him for a month. Upon returning to action, he saw Pará overtake him as a starter, and then spent the 2017 campaign as a backup.
On 17 July 2018, after regaining his starting spot, Rodinei extended his contract with Fla until December 2022. He then saw his playing time reduce in the following year, mainly after the arrival of Rafinha.
Loan to Internacional On 23 December 2019, Flamengo agreed to loan Rodinei to Internacional until the end of the 2020 season with an option to buy at the end of the loan set at €4 million. Regularly used, his loan was extended until May 2021 on 14 July 2020.
Rodinei was sent off during a decisive match against parent club Flamengo on 21 February 2021, which ended in a 2–1 and saw Inter lose the top spot of the 2020 Série A in the penultimate round; initially unavailable to play in that match due to his loan contract, Inter paid a R$ 1 million fee after receiving a donation from a supporter. Despite having a strong start of the 2021 campaign, providing seven assists in 13 matches, the club announced his departure in May, as his buyout clause would not be activated.
Return from loan Back to Flamengo on 2 June 2021, Rodinei acted mainly as a backup to Mauricio Isla during the remainder of the year. In 2022, he became an undisputed starter after the arrival of Dorival Júnior as head coach, helping the club to win both the 2022 Copa do Brasil and 2022 Copa Libertadores titles, also converting the decisive penalty in the shootout of the former's final.
Olympiacos
On 11 December 2022, Rodinei moved abroad for the first time in his career, joining Greek side Olympiacos on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his club debut the following 3 January, starting in a 2–0 Super League Greece win over Ionikos, and scored his first goal on 1 October 2023, in a 3–0 away success over PAS Giannina.
In September 2024, after also acting as team captain in some matches, Rodinei signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the club until June 2027. In the 2025–26 season, he was also deployed as a right winger on several matches.
On 2 September 2026, Olympacos announced Rodinei's departure.
Santos Immediately after leaving Olympiacos, Rodinei returned to Brazil after being announced at top tier side Santos, on a contract until December 2027. He made his club debut on 9 September 2026, starting in a 2–0 home win over Atlético Mineiro for the 2026 Copa Sudamericana.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueState leagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAvaí2011Série A00————002012Série B000000——00Total000000——00Marcílio Dias (loan)2012Série C0070———70Corinthians (loan)2012Série A10—00——10CRAC (loan)2013Série C170—30——200Penapolense (loan)2014Paulista—160———160Ponte Preta2014Série B222————2222015Série A35016010——520Total57216010——742Flamengo2016Série A1301414020303612017Série A192817052204152018Série A281915080—5022019Série A170602020002702021Série A180004110—2312022Série A1608010011010460Total1113453321292602239Internacional (loan)2020Série A230503180—3912021Série A00920040—132Total23014231120—523Olympiacos2022–23Super League Greece190—30——2202023–24Super League Greece302—20181—5032024–25Super League Greece294—60100—4542025–26Super League Greece244—4180103752026–27Super League Greece 10—0020—30Total10510—1513811015712Santos2026Série A30——20—50Career total3261510455348437056926
Honours Flamengo Série A: 2019 Copa do Brasil: 2022 Copa Libertadores: 2019, 2022 Campeonato Carioca: 2017, 2019 FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2019
Olympiacos Super League Greece: 2024–25 Greek Football Cup: 2024–25 UEFA Conference League: 2023–24 Greek Super Cup: 2025
Individual Campeonato Carioca Team of the Year: 2016 Troféu Mesa Redonda Team of the Year: 2018, 2022 Campeonato Gaúcho Team of the Year: 2021 Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2022–23, 2023–24 Super League Greece top assist provider: 2024–25
References
External links