Rodrigo Holgado

Rodrigo Julián Holgado (born 28 June 1995) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chilean club Coquimbo Unido on loan from Colombian club América de Cali. He played for the Malaysia national team twice and was suspended from all football related activities after being sanctioned by FIFA in September 2025 for forging documents related to his Malaysian ancestry; however, Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued provisional measures on 26 January 2026 to suspend (stay, in legal terms) the sanction until a final CAS decision is rendered.

In 2018, Holgado moved to Chile and joined Coquimbo Unido in the second level, winning the league title. In Chile, he also played for Audax Italiano and Curicó Unido before rejoining Coquimbo Unido in 2023 at the top division on loan from Argentine side Gimnasia La Plata.

In 2024, Holgado moved to Colombia and joined América de Cali. In September 2025, América suspended Holgado following his sanction by FIFA. On 26 January 2026, CAS provisionally ruled in favor of him and returned to Coquimbo Unido by third time on 8 February on loan until June of the same year. On 5 March 2026, CAS ratified the 12-month ban from playing matches, with credit for the period from 25 September 2025 until 26 January 2026 included, but it only applies to official matches and not to all football-related activities, allowing him to resume his training with Coquimbo Unido.

International career In preparation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, Holgado, who claimed Malaysian heritage, was called up to the Malaysian national team on 4 June. Holgado faced criticism from Colombian sports journalist Eduardo Luis López for "abandoning his club duties" and accepting the Malaysia call-up purely based on "financial motivations". This was refuted by Holgado, who rebutted by stating that López was not qualified to comment as he was not a footballer. Colombian-born Syrian international Pablo Sabbag publicly supported Holgado's decision, emphasizing that "it is an honor to play for the national team". Holgado made his international debut on 10 June 2025 in the match against Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, where he also scored his first international goal.

In September 2025, however, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Holgado, and six other Malaysian heritage players were sanctioned by FIFA due to falsification and forgery of documents regarding the players' eligibility to play for Malaysia in the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam. In all seven cases, the players' Malaysian heritage was found to be false. As a result, each player was fined CHF 2,000 (around MYR 10,560) and suspended from all football related activities for 12 months. FAM have confirmed they will file an appeal against FIFA's sanctions.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Holgado goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Rodrigo HolgadoNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 10 June 2025 Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia 2–0 4–0 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

Honours Coquimbo Unido Primera B de Chile: 2018

Individual Primera B de Chile Top Goalscorer: 2018