Rodrigo Zalazar moves to Braga

“After Rodrigo came to us and expressed that he wanted to leave the club after two years, we managed to find a fitting solution for all those involved. We set clear financial terms that Braga have now met,” said André Hechelmann, sporting director of FC Schalke 04. “Rodri will forever remain part of Schalke history after his goal to seal promotion against St. Pauli and his strike from the halfway line against Nürnberg. We would like to thank him for his efforts for the Royal Blues and wish him all the best for the future, both professionally and personally.”

Zalazar played an important role in Schalke’s return to the Bundesliga, contributing six goals and seven assists in their promotion-winning campaign in 2021/22. He scored once and provided six assists in 22 league matches last term.

Rodrigo Zalazar played for Malaga FC in his youth before moving from the club’s reserves to Eintracht Frankfurt in July 2019. The 1.78m tall midfielder was then loaned to Polish side Korona Kielce, before moving on loan to FC St. Pauli in summer 2020. He featured in all 34 league matches for the Hamburg-based side that season, scoring six goals and providing six assists.