Former Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo was known for his attacking style of play at Old Trafford, but things boiled over during a recent match in Argentina
Marcos Rojo was shown a straight red card (Image: Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)
Former Manchester United star Marcos Rojo has been handed a four-match ban for an ugly confrontation with a referee when he slapped an opponent. Rojo, 36, was shown a straight red card in Argentina’s Liga Pro match between Racing Club and River Plate on Sunday.
The defender slapped River’s Lucas Martínez Quarta in the face in a corner and manager Sebastian Zunino had no choice but to give him his marching orders after a VAR check. Rojo reacted angrily and appeared to lash out at Zunino.
His reaction has resulted in a four-match suspension, which could end his career at the Racing club as his contract expires in June. Rojo has been sent off twice in 15 games since joining the Avellaneda-based team from Boca Juniors last summer.
The Argentine player was given a yellow card early in the match, and River won 2-0. Rojo was known for his attacking style of play during his time at Old Trafford, so United fans won’t be surprised to hear about Rojo’s actions.
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
read more: Portuguese media say Ruben Amorim was right about Manchester game – ‘His decision was right’read more: Michael Carrick removes hint for Koby Mainu but excludes two Manchester United stars from game against Chelsea
The former Sporting Lisbon man has surprisingly never been sent off for United, but he has been involved in a number of embarrassing incidents. Teammate Luke Shaw even joked that players would avoid him in training because of his difficulty with studs up.
Signed for £16 million in the summer of 2014, Rojo helped United win three trophies: the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. After six-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, which was followed by an injury-plagued spell, Rojo left the Red Devils to join Boca for an undisclosed fee.
Was Marcos Rojo underrated at Manchester United? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Marcos Rojo shouted in the face of the referee (Image: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
But the 36-year-old left with a bitter taste in his mouth. In 2023, Rojo accused former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of only starting Harry Maguire instead of him because of the centre-back’s £80m price tag.
“That year (2019), I was doing very well in England and was playing in the Europa League,” Rojo was quoted as saying by ESPN. “I was really mad at the coach. Maguire was playing and now, by God, they took him out and Richa (Lissandro) Martinez is playing.”
“One day I went to his office and told him to either take me out or put me in[the starting lineup]. He knew it was wrong for me not to play all the time.
Marcos Rojo was part of Manchester United’s FA Cup winning team (Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
“He told me he had to play no matter what because they paid him a lot of money. And I said to him, ‘This guy is making big mistakes every Sunday, so let him play.’
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
