1. Overview
Roger Roberto dos Santos (born March 30, 1986), commonly known as Roger Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. Standing at 70 in (177 cm) and weighing 148 lb (67 kg), he has played for numerous clubs throughout his professional career, primarily in Brazil, but also had notable stints in Japan with Albirex Niigata and in South Korea with Bucheon FC 1995. His career spans multiple Brazilian state and national leagues, demonstrating a versatile and enduring presence in professional football.
2. Early Life
Roger Gaúcho was born Roger Roberto dos Santos on March 30, 1986, in São Leopoldo, a municipality located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
3. Club Career
Roger Gaúcho's professional football career began in Brazil, where he developed through various clubs and had multiple loan spells, before experiencing international play in Japan and South Korea, and later returning to a long career in Brazilian football.
3.1. Internacional
Roger Gaúcho began his professional career at Internacional. He made his Campeonato Brasileiro Série A debut for Internacional on June 30, 2007, in a 1-1 draw against Atlético Mineiro. During his tenure with Internacional, he played 15 league matches, scoring one goal. He also spent a loan spell at Náutico in 2008, where he appeared in four league matches without scoring.
3.2. Early Career and Loan Spells
After leaving Internacional, Roger Gaúcho's contract was terminated in August 2008, and he joined Porto Alegre in September for a short-term deal to play in the 2008 Copa FGF. In December 2008, he signed a five-year contract with Brasa Futebol Clube, a club serving as a proxy and investor for the football agent group Energy Sports. Immediately after signing, he was loaned to Mirassol, which was a partner club of Energy Sports.
In April 2009, he moved to São Caetano on a one-year loan. By December 2009, São Caetano secured his services permanently with a three-year contract. He played 18 league matches for Mirassol in the Campeonato Paulista A1, scoring no goals, and 18 league matches for São Caetano in Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, also without scoring, in 2009. He continued with São Caetano in 2010, making 10 more league appearances.
In 2011, Roger Gaúcho was loaned out multiple times. He joined Oeste for the Campeonato Paulista A1, where he notably scored four goals in 22 appearances. On May 20, 2011, he moved to Santos FC on a three-month deal. He played seven league matches for Santos in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. In June 2011, he extended his contract with São Caetano for another year, and subsequently made five more league appearances for them in Série B. In 2012, he had further loan spells with Oeste for the Campeonato Paulista A1, making 15 appearances and scoring two goals, and then with Grêmio Barueri in Série B, appearing in six matches. In 2013, he was loaned to Mogi Mirim, another new partner of Energy Sports, though he made no appearances for them.
3.3. Ponte Preta
In May 2013, Roger Gaúcho was signed by Ponte Preta. At the time of this transfer, 50% of his economic rights were still retained by Energy Sports and other investors. During his time at Ponte Preta, he played five league matches in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, one match in the Copa do Brasil, and 16 matches in the State Championship, scoring three goals in the latter.
3.4. Albirex Niigata
On July 29, 2013, it was announced that Roger Gaúcho had signed a new deal with the Japanese J1 League team Albirex Niigata. His registered name for the club was ホージェル・ガウーショRoger GaúchoJapanese. He made his J.League debut on August 17, 2013, in a J1 League match against Kashima Antlers at Kashima Soccer Stadium. His first J.League goal came on August 28, 2013, in a J1 League match against Júbilo Iwata at Niigata Stadium. During his tenure with Albirex Niigata, he appeared in seven J1 League matches in 2013, scoring one goal, and also played one match in the J.League Cup. In 2014, he played three more J1 League matches, scoring one goal, and one match in the J.League Cup. In May 2014, his contract with Albirex Niigata was terminated by mutual consent, as his former club, Ponte Preta, had inquired about his return.
3.5. Bucheon FC 1995
On December 28, 2016, the South Korean club Bucheon FC 1995 of the K League Challenge announced that Roger Gaúcho had signed a new contract with them. However, on February 22, 2017, just before the start of the season, Roger Gaúcho's contract was officially terminated by mutual consent.
3.6. Later Career in Brazil
Following his brief stint in South Korea, Roger Gaúcho returned to Brazil. In 2014, he rejoined Oeste, playing 19 matches and scoring 5 goals. He also had a loan spell at Criciúma in 2014, making 3 appearances. In 2015, he played for Ceará, appearing in 8 matches and scoring 2 goals.
From 2016 to 2017, he played for Campinense, appearing in 16 matches and scoring 3 goals. In 2016, he was loaned to CRB, where he made 25 appearances and scored 2 goals. In 2017, he moved to Treze, playing 11 matches and scoring 1 goal, followed by a spell at Botafogo-PB, making 12 appearances and scoring 2 goals.
In 2018, he played for Altos, appearing in 15 matches, and for Aimoré, making 5 appearances. In 2019, he joined Real Brasília, playing 6 matches and scoring 1 goal, and later that year, he played for América-RN, making 17 appearances and scoring 4 goals. In 2020, he played for Portuguesa, appearing in 15 matches and scoring 1 goal, and also had another short stint with Oeste, though he made no appearances during that period.
4. Career Statistics
| Domestic Tournament Individual Results | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Club | Jersey No. | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Brazil | League | Brazil Cup | State Championship | Total | ||||||||||
| 2007 | Internacional | Série A | 15 | 1 | - | 15 | 1 | |||||||
| 2008 | Náutico | 4 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2009 | Mirassol | São Paulo State A1 | - | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||||||
| São Caetano | Série B | 18 | 0 | - | 18 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2010 | 10 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2011 | Oeste | São Paulo State A1 | - | 22 | 4 | 22 | 4 | |||||||
| Santos | Série A | 7 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | ||||||||
| São Caetano | Série B | 5 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2012 | Oeste | São Paulo State A1 | - | 15 | 2 | 15 | 2 | |||||||
| Grêmio Barueri | Série B | 6 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2013 | Ponte Preta | Série A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 22 | 3 | ||||
| Total | Brazil | 70 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 71 | 9 | 142 | 10 | |||||
| Japan | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Niigata | 11 | J1 | 7 | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||||
| 2014 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | Japan | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |||||
| Total Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Total Career Statistics | 237 | 26 | ||||||||||||
- J.League Debut**: August 17, 2013, J1 League Matchday 21, vs. Kashima Antlers (at Kashima Soccer Stadium)
- J.League First Goal**: August 28, 2013, J1 League Matchday 23, vs. Júbilo Iwata (at Niigata Stadium)
5. Honours
Internacional
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 2008