Name: Marco Gastón Ruben Rodríguez
Nickname: "Marquito", "MR9"
Country:
ArgentinaClub: Rosario Central
Shirt Number: 9
Position: ★CF
Side: RF/BS
Age: 29-31 years (26/10/1986)
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Attack: 83
Defence: 40
Balance: 77
Stamina: 80
Top Speed: 81
Acceleration: 79
Response: 84
Agility: 80
Dribble Accuracy: 82
Dribble Speed: 78
Short Pass Accuracy: 74
Short Pass Speed: 73
Long Pass Accuracy: 71
Long Pass Speed: 72
Shot Accuracy: 82
Shot Power: 82
Shot Technique: 83
Free Kick Accuracy: 67
Swerve: 70
Heading: 83
Jump: 82
Technique: 82
Aggression: 86
Mentality: 80
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team work: 77
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition/Fitness: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 5
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 6
Growth type: Normal/Lasting
CARDS:
P13 - Goal Poacher
S05 - 1-Touch Play
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Scoring - 1-On-1 Scoring - Lines - Penalties - 1-Touch Pass
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Attack-Minded
INFO:
Marco Ruben is an Argentine former footballer who played as a center forward. Born in Capitán Bermúdez, Santa Fe (27/10/1986), he developed in the youth academy of Club Atlético Rosario Central, where he began his professional career in 2004 at just 17 years old. He debuted on August 25 during Matchday 3 of the Torneo Apertura against Quilmes, a match that also marked Ángel Tulio Zof’s return as manager after retiring in 1997. That same tournament, he scored his first goal against Racing Club on October 23 in a 2-0 win at the Estadio Presidente Perón. He made 28 appearances that season, adding one more goal. During the 2005 Apertura, he gradually displaced Emanuel Villa as the starting striker and became the team’s top scorer with 6 goals. He also made his international debut in the 2005 Copa Sudamericana. In 2006, he cemented himself as a goalscorer with 15 goals: three in the Copa Libertadores and five in the Torneo Clausura during the first half of the year. In the second half, he partnered with experienced Costa Rican international Paulo Wanchope, netting seven goals, including one in a 4-1 win over Newell’s. He ended his first stint at the club with 89 appearances and 23 goals. His performances earned him a transfer to River Plate alongside teammates Cristian Villagra and Juan Ojeda. The Núñez club paid $8 million, $5 million of which was for Ruben. In the 2007 Clausura, he played 17 matches and scored 3 goals. During the Apertura, he scored 4 goals in 12 games and made 8 international appearances. In January 2008, he was signed by Spain’s Villarreal CF for $7 million and immediately loaned to Recreativo de Huelva until June 2008. There, he scored 4 goals in 14 matches, including a brace against FC Barcelona. After a one-year loan extension, he joined Villarreal B in Segunda División for the 2009–10 season, scoring 18 goals in 31 matches. His form earned him a call-up to the first team in February 2010, where he scored his first goal for Villarreal in the Europa League against Wolfsburg. Over the next two seasons, he established himself in Villarreal’s main squad, with 11 goals in 47 games in the 2010-11 season, across La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Europa League, where Villarreal reached the semifinals, and 9 goals, including UEFA Champions League appearances in 2011-12. After relegation, he joined Dynamo Kyiv for €14 million but struggled. Loan spells at Évian TG and Tigres UANL followed, but he failed to regain consistency.
In December 2014, he returned to Rosario Central. Under manager Eduardo Coudet, he became a key figure, scoring the winner against Tigre in his second match back. In the 2015 Primera División, he was the league’s top scorer with 21 goals in 30 games—including a goal in the Rosario derby against Newell’s. He also scored three goals in the Copa Argentina, where Central finished runner-up amid controversial refereeing. After a stellar year, Central bought him permanently from Dynamo Kyiv for $5 million in January 2016. In 2016, despite an Achilles injury, he scored in the derby against Newell’s and finished as the team’s top scorer for the second straight year with 22 goals (8 of them in the Copa Libertadores). Central reached another Copa Argentina final but lost 4-3 to River Plate. Injuries and personal tragedy (his grandfather’s murder) affected his form in 2017–18, though he scored crucial goals, including against Newell’s and Boca Juniors. He won the 2018 Copa Argentina with Central. After a loan to Athletico Paranaense, he returned to Rosario Central in 2021. On November 28, 2021, he became Central’s all-time top scorer in the professional AFA era (1939–present) with two goals against River Plate. On April 23, 2022, he reached 104 goals, ranking third in the club’s overall history behind the Hayes brothers (1910s–1920s). He announced his retirement in May 2022, scoring his final goal (his 105th) in his last match against Estudiantes de La Plata. However, in November 2023, Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado announced his return to professional football after 18 months inactive. He debuted on December 2, 2023, against Liverpool. On May 26, 2024, Rosario Central confirmed his emotional fifth return to the club. On June 2, 2024, he scored his 106th goal for Central (a 94th-minute equalizer against Lanús). He retired definitively on December 14, 2024, after Central’s 2-1 win over Godoy Cruz.
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Rosario Central (2004 - 2006) - 89 games, 23 goals.
River Plate (2007) - 36 games, 7 goals.
Villarreal C.F. (2008 - 2012) - 88 games, 21 goals.
Recreativo de Huelva (2008 - 2009) - 45 games, 7 goals.
F.C. Dynamo Kyiv (2012 - 2015) - 15 games, 1 goal.
Évian Thonon Gaillard (2013 - 2014) - 29 games, 1 goal.
Tigres UANL (2014) - 13 games, 1 goal.
Athletico Paranaense (2019) - 42 games, 13 goals.
Deportivo Maldonado (2023 - 2024) - 13 games, 3 goals.