Marcos Rojo is a familiar face to many football fans. He once suited up for Sporting in Portuguese football. Recently, Rojo made a controversial switch. He left Boca Juniors to join Independiente. At Boca, he had been training apart from the main team. This move marks another chapter in his long and storied career.
The 35-year-old central defender is now focused on his new team. But he used an interview with ESPN to clear the air. Rojo wanted to explain his departure from Boca to the fans. He pointed to a simple comment from coach Miguel Russo. That one sentence started the whole process, he said.
“I asked Miguel if he was counting on me,” Rojo began. “He said no. I really wasn’t expecting that.” The coach told Rojo he was too old to play at that level. “I told him I completely understood what he was saying,” Rojo explained. “I accepted that he would use Ayrton Costa instead.”
Rojo then made his feelings clear. “But I told him I wanted to sort everything out quickly so I could leave,” he added. “I felt good. I was in good shape. I wanted to keep playing.” It seems the veteran wasn’t ready to hang up his boots just yet.
This statement from Rojo surprised many. Argentine newspapers highlighted the odd logic. For example, star forward Cavani is 38 years old. Yet, he still plays at a high level. It made Russo’s age-based reasoning seem a bit off.
The former Sporting player also strongly denied any bad behavior. He insisted he didn’t commit any acts of indiscipline. This was important for him to clarify during his exit. He wanted to set the record straight about his “divorce” from the club.
“It all started during the game against Independiente,” Rojo recalled. “I felt unwell. People said many terrible things.” He showed up for training the very next day. Assistant coach Mariano Herrón then pulled him from the session. “That’s when the confusion began,” Rojo explained.
“Overnight, I became the reason we got eliminated,” he stated. “I was accused of absolutely everything.” People even claimed he went to Pipa Benedetto’s birthday party in Paraguay. “Thousands of things like that sting,” Rojo said. “Especially because I have daughters. My oldest is a huge Boca fan. It hurts to hear these kinds of things being said.”