Ricardo José Rodríguez

Ricardo José Rodríguez was born in Buenos Aires on 4 March 1954. A defender, he made his debut for San Lorenzo in July 1973 in a Campeonato Metropolitano match against Gimnasia de La Plata under coach Jorge Castelli, and was part of the preliminary Argentina squad for the 1974 South American Under 20 Championship in Chile.

In 1975 he moved to Spain to play for Atlético de Madrid in the 1975 to 1976 season. He then joined All Boys, playing in the Primera División from 1976 to 1978, before spells with Atlético Bucaramanga in Colombia in 1979, Almagro in 1980, Banfield in 1981 and Arsenal de Sarandí in 1982. He retired with Estudiantes de Buenos Aires in 1984, having played 234 matches and scored 14 goals.

Rodríguez began coaching in 1997 at All Boys, where his side included Sergio Batista, Walter Paz, Carlos Mayor and Gustavo Bartelt. He coached Platense in 2000 and Racing de Córdoba in 2001, where a heart attack forced him to step aside for a time, before returning to All Boys from 2001 to 2003. He then worked at Estudiantes de Buenos Aires, El Porvenir, Deportivo Laferrere, Talleres de Remedios de Escalada, Atlante in Mexico and Los Andes.

At Defensa y Justicia in 2011 to 2012 he strengthened a limited squad, avoided relegation to the third tier and earned a 3 to 3 draw with River Plate in March 2012. From July 2012 to November 2013 he led Atlético Tucumán in the Primera B Nacional for 56 official matches, with the team consistently challenging at the top, and a 3 to 1 Copa Argentina win over San Martín in March 2013 became one of the fans' favourite memories.

His third spell at All Boys, from 2013 to 2014, took him into the Primera División, where All Boys beat Carlos Bianchi's Boca Juniors 2 to 0 at La Bombonera in the 2013 Torneo Inicial. In the second half of 2014 he replaced Roberto Trotta at Independiente Rivadavia in Mendoza, leaving four months later. He later coached Central Norte from 2020 to 2021, Juventud Unida de Tafí Viejo in 2022 and Sportivo Guzmán in 2023 in the Liga Tucumana, and his last job was at El Porvenir in 2025.

Rodríguez was known in football as el Negro, RR and RRDT. After his time at Atlético Tucumán he formed a close bond with the province and settled there permanently, until health problems forced him to return to Buenos Aires. He is second on the list of coaches who have led All Boys' professional squads most often.

Rodríguez died in Buenos Aires on 11 November 2026, aged 72. His death was reported that evening by Infobae. No cause of death was made public. Defensa y Justicia was among the first clubs to send condolences, recalling him as the coach of its first team in the 2011 to 2012 season.

Rodríguez is remembered as a symbol of Argentina's Ascenso and as one of the most important coaches in All Boys' history. His trademark was commitment, with constant demands for sacrifice and effort from his squads, and at Atlético Tucumán he helped bring through or consolidate players such as Cristian Lucchetti, Bruno Bianchi, Nicolás Romat and Guillermo Acosta.