The Soap Opera Arrives at Sampdoria: Jesé Rodriguez has found a new club
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1623752351851978752
Jesé Rodriguez has found a new home for his well-travelled footballing career.
U.C. Sampdoria are the latest team to hand the troubled Spanish striker a chance.
The free agent has signed a deal with the historic Italian side until the end of the season.
Il Doria are currently having a challenging time in Serie A.
Sitting second from bottom and eight points from safety, can Sampdoria expect much from their newest acquisition?
A Bright Start
Starting his career at Real Madrid, Rodriguez showed great promise as a young striker.
But with a mixture of injuries and the quality of players at the club, Rodriguez struggled to hold down a starting place.
A transfer to PSG wasn’t exactly the career revitalisation he was hoping for.
Consecutive loans to UD Las Palmas, Stoke City, Real Betis, and Sporting CP were each as unconvincing as the last.
Unable to secure a permanent move away, PSG cancelled the striker’s contract in 2020, having made only 18 appearances in four years.
His problems on the pitch weren’t the only issue PSG had with Rodriguez.
A troubled personal life
During his latter days in Madrid, the then 21-year-old’s house went up in flames following a gas leak.
Following the birth of his first child Jesé jr, Rodriguez discovered he had a second child after his ex-girlfriend posted pictures of a newborn baby on social media.
Rodriguez also started a music career, juggling it with his time on the pitch, releasing a series of pop songs under the name Jey M.
His time in Paris was when the real soap opera started for the striker.
His on-again-off-again relationship with Spanish reality television star Aurah Ruiz became toxic and messy.
Amid rumours of cheating and separation, the couple had a son together.
Ruiz didn’t follow Rodriguez on his loan move to Stoke.
Instead, she sued him for neglecting his duties as a father.
The TV star didn’t help herself when she opted to enter the Big Brother house, lasting 71 days before eviction.
Astonishingly, the media revealed that Rodriguez had spent over €5000 on texts to get her voted off.
The forward then countersued Ruiz for slander and harassment.
Rodriguez’s countersuit was successful, as Ruiz received nine days of community service.
The couple left the courthouse hand in hand, leading to gasps from the courthouse gallery.
Fresh Start?
Entering a new decade, 2020 wasn’t any less of a rollercoaster for the striker.
Photos of the couple hosting a lockdown-breaking party led to a reprimand from his parent club PSG.
Further, problems arose when Ruiz returned home to find Rodriguez cheating on her with her best friend.
After throwing Rodriguez out, Ruiz returned home to Spain and back to reality television.
While appearing on the gossip show La Casa Fuerta, Rodriguez ambushed Ruiz with an on-air phone call stating: “I can see that you’re not happy.”
The striker had just made his first couple of appearances for PSG in three years, but the strain of his private life had become too much for them, and they cancelled his contract.
Rodriguez re-joined UD Las Palmas, having spent part of the year before on loan there.
The striker was slowly starting to rediscover some goalscoring form when he was involved in a hit-and-run incident.
Rumours speculate that Ruiz is the culprit after she matched a description of the perpetrator.
Both Ruiz and Rodriguez deny her alleged involvement.
Despite all the drama, the couple reunited in 2022, announcing their engagement on social media.
The couple tied the knot late last year, and Ruiz is currently pregnant with now-29-year-old Rodriguez’s sixth child.
Too late?
On the pitch, Rodriguez left UD Las Palmas at the end of the 2021-22 season.
He moved to MKE Ankaragükü in the summer but had his contract terminated in January 2023.
Fans of the Turkish club cited his off-the-pitch scandals as a distraction.
So.
Can Jesé Rodriguez revitalise Sampdoria?
Beyond the soap opera, the Spanish striker has shown in short bursts that there is a quality player in there.
Whether he can maintain his focus on football long enough to make an impact remains to be answered.
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