How is ex-Leeds United attacker Rodrigo Moreno getting on? | OneFootball

Looking at Rodrigo Moreno's last year in Qatar since his exit from Leeds United last summer.

In the summer of 2023, Rodrigo Moreno left Leeds United following the club's relegation to the Championship to move to Qatari side Al-Rayyan.

It's fair to say the Spaniard had a mixed time of things in West Yorkshire during his three-year spell, with injuries hampering him in each campaign he spent with the club, as well as never truly fitting into the tactical plan of various Leeds managers.

He was deployed as more of a central or attacking midfielder under Marcelo Bielsa, but as a striker he lacked some of the physical attributes to lead the line and be the focal point and pressing forward required in Bielsa's intense style of play, despite the goals being difficult to ignore in his final campaign with the club in 2022/23.

He finished as the Whites' top scorer that season and ended the season with 15 goals and two assists from 35 games; all the more impressive when considering his side ended the season in 19th in the Premier League and the fact he was managed by four separate permanent or caretaker managers.

The forward then received a call-up to the Spanish national team off the back of that good form, and may well have be hoping to get into their squad for the European Championships at the end of the 2023/24 season, but missed out on being a part of Spain's victory against England in Germany.

It appears as though his career with the national team is all-but-over, but he used to have decent pedigree with Spain. Rodrigo notched eight goals from 28 caps during a nine-year stint with his national side.

Rodrigo leaves Leeds United for Qatari side Al-Rayyan

A number of first-team players were always likely to depart in the summer after Leeds' relegation was confirmed to the Championship, especially those in the squad who had played at the elite level previously, such as the Spaniard. His time in Spain with Valencia saw his reputation score, especially during campaigns where they competed in the Champions League.

According to Phil Hay, Rodrigo's release clause to move to Al-Rayyan was set at around £3 million, meaning the Whites made a significant loss on the Spanish international, with Rodrigo joining Leeds in the summer of 2020 on a four-year deal from Valencia for a then club-record fee of around £27 million (€30 million), as per Sky Sports.

However, the 33-year-old was into the final year of his deal at Elland Road, forcing Leeds' hand somewhat. He went on to score 28 goals and collect a further five assists from 97 games for the Whites, having previously spent time in La Liga and then Portugal with Benfica.

Things have been going fairly well, unsurprisingly, for the forward after his move to Qatar. Here, we take a look at exactly how he's getting on with his new side during what is his second season with the club.

Rodrigo's time in Qatar with Al-Rayyan since leaving Leeds

It goes without saying that the standard of the Qatar Stars League is well below that of the Premier League, highlighting that this was always likely to be a move which Rodrigo could take in his stride, even when well into his 30s.

The former Leeds man contributed to 18 goals in 21 games for Al-Rayyan during the first campaign, with 12 goals and six assists. Rodrigo has predominantly been used as a striker but also off the left flank as a left-sided forward player as well.

The Spaniard missed all of his new side's games last season through injury or suspension, with a two-game ban served in mid-season last year for a straight red card after just nine minutes against Al-Sadd SC during a 4-0 defeat.

Al-Rayyan ended the season in second in the league, which is made up of 12 teams. They have won the title eight times, but lost out to Al-Sadd as they pipped them to the league win by two points from the 22 league game, finishing on 49 points to Al-Rayyan's 47.

It means that they automatically qualified for the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Elite competition, which is Asia's premier club football tournament and UEFA Champions League equivalent. It will see Rodrigo face the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo with Saudi side Al Nassr FC in the West Region section of the group stage.

Rodrigo has played twice so far this season, captaining his new side to a 3-1 win, but has also missed two fixtures as well. He is yet to get off the mark in those two games but will be hoping for a league and Champions League double this term.

However, in spite of all the goals and assists from last year, Rodrigo has not yet been called up for Spain since his latest transfer move, which appears to have prematurely ended his Spain hopes.