Rodrigo Tiuí

Rodrigo Tiuí
Personal information
Full name	Rodrigo Bonifácio da Rocha
Date of birth	4 December 1985 (age 38)
Place of birth	Taboão da Serra, Brazil
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Fukushima United
Number	22
Youth career
2001–2002	Fluminense
Senior career*
Years	Team
2003–2007	Fluminense
2006	→ Noroeste (loan)
2006	→ Santos (loan)
2008–2009	Sporting CP
2009	Atlético Paranaense
2010	Atlético Goianiense
2010–2012	Terek Grozny
2012	→ Náutico (loan)
2012	Criciúma
2013	Brasiliense
2014	Linense
2014	Itumbiara
2015	Gifu
2015	→ Fukushima United (loan)
2016–	Fukushima United
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 May 2016

Rodrigo Bonifácio da Rocha (born 4 December 1985 in Taboão da Serra, São Paulo), nicknamed Tiuí, is a Brazilian footballer for Japanese club Fukushima United FC as a forward.

Football career

At Fluminense Football Club, Tiuí broke into the first team at the age of 18. In his first full season, he scored five goals in 18 Série A games, but only managed to find the net on three occasions the following campaign, having appeared in 29 league matches.

In 2006, Tiuí went on loan to Esporte Clube Noroeste from the Série C, having another loan spell the same year with Santos FC, thus returning to the top level.

Tiuí signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal in January 2008, with the club buying half of the player's rights from C.A. Rentistas (his rights were in fact held by an investing company). His debut for the Lions came on 3 February in a 0–1 away loss to C.F. Os Belenenses; in one rare start, in the Portuguese classic against S.L. Benfica at home, he provided the assist in Simon Vukčević's goal as the derby finished 1–1 at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Tiuí scored his only Primeira Liga goal on 11 May 2008, against Boavista F.C. for the season's last matchday, with the 2–1 home win guaranteeing the second place and a direct qualifying position for the UEFA Champions League. A week later, he came from the bench at the beginning of extra time to net twice in the team's 2–0 final victory over FC Porto for the Taça de Portugal.^[1]

After an unassuming 2008–09 – only five matches in 79 minutes of play – Sporting exchanged 50% of its rights on Tiuí for the remaining 50% of Pedro Silva.^[2] On 20 September, the former signed a three-month contract with Clube Atlético Paranaense and, in January of the following year, the Uruguayans loaned him to Clube Atlético Goianiense;^[3] in August, he left for Russia's FC Terek Grozny in a 3+2 deal.^[4]

From then onwards, Tiuí competed in several levels of Brazilian football, with little impact. He also played in Japan, joining FC Gifu in early 2015 and switching to Fukushima United FC the following year.

^ "Sporting vence Taça de Portugal" (in Portuguese). Expresso. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
^ "Relatório e contas 2009/2010 aprovado em Assembleia Geral de 29 de Setembro de 2010" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
^ "Rodrigo Tiuí e Saavedra são apresentados no Dragão" (in Portuguese). Clube Atlético Paranaense. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help) ^{[dead link‍]}
^ "Терек" подписал контракт с Рикардо Тиуи. (in Russian). FC Terek Grozny. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)