Ricardo Ismael Rojas
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Ismael Rojas Mendoza | ||
| Date of birth | 26 January 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Posadas, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991 | Argentinos Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1992 | Cerro Corá | 15 | (0) |
| 1992–1995 | Libertad | 54 | (0) |
| 1995–1999 | Estudiantes | 123 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Benfica | 32 | (0) |
| 2001 | → River Plate (loan) | 24 | (1) |
| 2002–2006 | River Plate | 44 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Belgrano | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 302 | (1) | |
| National team | |||
| 1997–1998 | Paraguay | 7 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Ricardo Ismael Rojas Mendoza (born 26 January 1971) is a retired Paraguayan professional footballer who played as a full-back.
He first came into notability at Libertad in Paraguay, transferring to Estudiantes in 1995, where he established himself and received his first call-up for Paraguay national team. In 1999, he moved to Benfica, but less than a year and half later was back at Argentina, playing for River Plate until 2006. He represented Paraguay seven times, being a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Posadas, at the Argentine province of Misiones, Rojas played for the amauter side of Argentinos Juniors at the same time as Christian Dollberg in 1991. He moved to Cerro Corá in the same year and participated in their campaign in the Primera División. In 1992, he joined the larger Club Libertad, where he secured a place in the first team, amassing over 50 league matches in three seasons. After five years in Paraguay, Rojas returned to Argentina, signing with Estudiantes.
In Estudiantes, he played the left-back role for four seasons with more than 120 league appearances, but without winning any silverware. In July 1999, the 28-year old moved abroad and joined Benfica, alongside his fellow team-mate, Carlos Bossio;in what he labelled the transfer as the highest point in his career. According to Record, the fee for both was three million dollars. He made his debut on 12 September, in a 3–0 away win against Santa Clara, and went on to play 30 games in all competitions, mainly as a right-back. However, in 2000–01, the signings of Ivan Dudić on the right, and the breakthrough of Diogo Luís on the left, severely diminished his playing time, so in February 2001, he was loaned to River Plate. His pay-check there was a reported 500 thousand dollars, one of highest in the league.
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