Soccer Birthdays – January 9

Rodrygo

Rodrygo Silva de Goes is a 2001-born winger and forward from Osasco, Brazil. Originally a futsal player with local club Santos, he made the shift to full field in July 2017. In June of 2019 he transferred to Real Madrid for a rumored €45 million fee. His rapid pace, technical excellence, dribbling prowess and low center of gravity allow him to compensate for his smaller stature on the pitch, where he routinely makes bold attacking moves. Since 2019 he has earned 31 caps for Brazil.

Ricardo Pepi

(Pictured above) This bright young striker from El Paso, TX was born in 2003. A graduate of the FC Dallas youth academy, Pepi spent a year with their USL affiliate North Texas SC where he scored 11 goals in 14 games. After 3 seasons with FC Dallas, he was transferred to FC Augsburg for a then-record $20M plus add-ons. But it was after his move to the Eredivisie powerhouse PSV in 2023 that he really took off, netting 22 goals in 62 matches so far. He also been called up 33 times for the USMNT.

Eric García

This Spanish defender from Martorell was born in 2001. He moved to Manchester in 2017 and made 19 appearances for the senior team in his three years there. Surprisingly, he rejected a contract extension with City, opting instead to let it expire. He was quickly snatched up by Barcelona, where he has remained except for a one-year loan to Girona in 2022-23.