View source for Rodrigo Braña

{{Short description|Argentine footballer}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Rodrigo Braña
| image = Rodrigo Braña - Switzerland vs. Argentina, 29th February 2012.jpg
| image_size = 250
| caption = Braña with [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in 2012
| fullname = Rodrigo Braña<ref name="FCWC 2009">{{cite web |title=FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by Toyota: List of Players |url=http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/95/12/84/fcwc_2009_squadlists.pdf |publisher=FIFA |page=4 |date=9 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902182958/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/95/12/84/fcwc_2009_squadlists.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| height = 1.67 m<ref name="FCWC 2009"/>
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|3|7}}<ref name="FCWC 2009"/>
| birth_place = [[Berazategui Partido|Berazategui]], [[Argentina]]
| currentclub = 
| clubnumber = 
| position = [[Midfielder#Defensive midfielder|Defensive midfielder]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = 
| years1 = 1997–2004
| clubs1 = [[Quilmes Atlético Club|Quilmes]]
| caps1 = 158
| goals1 = 13
| years2 = 1998–1999
| clubs2 = → [[RCD Mallorca B|Mallorca B]] (loan)
| caps2 = 32
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2001
| clubs3 = → [[Unión de Santa Fe|Unión]] (loan)
| caps3 = 13
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2004–2013
| clubs4 = [[Estudiantes de La Plata|Estudiantes LP]]
| caps4 = 207
| goals4 = 8
| years5 = 2013–2016
| clubs5 = [[Quilmes Atlético Club|Quilmes]]
| caps5 = 43
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2016–2019
| clubs6 = [[Estudiantes de La Plata|Estudiantes LP]]
| caps6 = 45
| goals6 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2009–2013
| nationalteam1 = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]]
| nationalcaps1 = 9
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2020
| managerclubs1 = [[Estudiantes de La Plata|Estudiantes LP]] (caretaker)
| pcupdate = 
| manageryears2 = 2024–
| managerclubs2 = [[Club Atlético Nueva Chicago|Nueva Chicago]]
}}

'''Rodrigo Braña''' (born 7 March 1979) is an [[Argentina|Argentine]] former professional [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[midfielder]].

==Career==

Braña started his career playing for [[Quilmes Atlético Club|Quilmes]] in the [[Primera B Nacional]] (Argentine second division). He has had three different spells with the club, which alternated between the second and the top division.

Braña had a short spell with [[RCD Mallorca]] in [[Spain]] where he played for their B team between 1998 and 1999. Braña also had a short spell with Argentine club [[Unión de Santa Fe]] in 2001.

In 2005, Braña joined Estudiantes, where he has become an idol for the [[La Plata]] club.  The two biggest highlights of his career to date have been winning the [[2006-2007 in Argentine football|Apertura 2006]] and the [[Copa Libertadores]] [[Copa Libertadores 2009|2009]] with Estudiantes.

Braña was a key figure on the Estudiantes team that won its first Argentine League title in 23 years after a 2-1 playoff victory against [[Boca Juniors]] to decide the winner of the [[2006-2007 in Argentine football|Apertura 2006]] champions.  "El Chapu" won many accolades for his contribution to the championship winning team; he was selected as the third best player of the Apertura 2006 tournament by Argentine sports newspaper Olé.<ref>[http://old.ole.clarin.com/jsp/v4/pagina.jsp?pagId=01327674 1 Olé article] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022200234/http://old.ole.clarin.com/jsp/v4/pagina.jsp?pagId=01327674 |date=2007-10-22 }}</ref> The only players that finished above him in the list were teammates [[Mariano Pavone]] and [[Juan Sebastián Verón]]. He has formed a formidable partnership in the center of midfield with Veron in recent seasons.

In 2008, he formed part of the team that finished as runners-up in [[Copa Sudamericana]] [[Copa Sudamericana 2008|2008]].
[[Image:Rodrigo Brana vs Pohang.JPG|left|thumb|Braña during the [[2009 FIFA Club World Cup]].]]
Braña was then a regular player in the team that won [[Copa Libertadores]] [[Copa Libertadores 2009|2009]].  His typical speed, stamina, and defensive skills in the midfield were key factors in Estudiantes' lifting the continental championship for the first time in 39 years.

After the Libertadores victory, he faced a serious offer from Mexican club [[Club de Fútbol Monterrey|Monterrey]] to take him to play in Mexico.  Braña eventually decided to stay with Estudiantes, a decision that was rewarded with his first-ever call up to the Argentina national team on 1 September 2009.

Braña retired at the end of the 2018–19 season.<ref>[https://infocielo.com/deportes/nota/87335/22_5_rodrigo_brana_se_despidio_de_estudiantes/ 22-5: RODRIGO BRAÑA SE DESPIDIÓ DE ESTUDIANTES], infocielo.com, 22 May 2019</ref>

===International appearances and goals===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size:85%;"
|-
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Final score !! Goal !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1. || September 30, 2009 || [[Córdoba, Argentina|Córdoba]], [[Argentina]] || {{fb|Ghana}} || 2–0 || 0 || Win|| Friendly
|-
| 2. || October 7, 2011|| [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]] || {{fb|Chile}} ||4–1 || 0||Win||[[2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|2014 World Cup qualification]]
|-
| 3. || November 15, 2011 || [[Barranquilla]], [[Colombia]] || {{fb|Colombia }} || 1–2 || 0 || Win || [[2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|2014 World Cup qualification]]
|-
| 4. ||September 19, 2012 || [[Goiânia]], [[Brazil]] || {{fb|Brazil}} || 1–2 || 0 || Lose || [[Superclásico de las Américas]]
|-
| 5. ||October 3, 2012 || [[Resistencia, Chaco|Resistencia]], [[Argentina]] || {{fb|Brazil}} || || || || [[Superclásico de las Américas]]
|}

==Honors==
;Estudiantes
*[[Argentine Primera División]] (2): [[2006–07 Argentine Primera División|2006 Apertura]], [[2010–11 Argentine Primera División season|2010 Apertura]]
*[[Copa Libertadores]] (1): [[2009 Copa Libertadores|2009]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rodrigo Braña}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090630103656/http://www.futbolxxi.com/Futbolista.aspx?ID=1592&SEOFutbolista=Brana+Rodrigo Argentine Primera statistics]}} {{in lang|es}} 
* {{ESPN FC|48398}}

{{Estudiantes de La Plata managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brana, Rodrigo}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Argentine men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Quilmes Atlético Club footballers]]
[[Category:Unión de Santa Fe footballers]]
[[Category:RCD Mallorca B players]]
[[Category:Estudiantes de La Plata footballers]]
[[Category:Copa Libertadores–winning players]]
[[Category:Argentine Primera División players]]
[[Category:Primera Nacional players]]
[[Category:Footballers from Berazategui Partido]]
[[Category:Argentina men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Spain]]