Adrián Rodríguez Scouting Report: Alavés’ 1.95m No.2 Goalkeeper

Quick Answer

Adrián Rodríguez is a 1.95m goalkeeper born in Palma de Mallorca who holds both Spanish and Argentine citizenship. He came through the Mallorca and Real Madrid academies, won two Argentina U20 caps and has belonged to Deportivo Alavés since 2020. His only top-flight evidence dates from spring 2025: on 8 March 2025 he came on cold after Antonio Sivera was sent off against Villarreal, kept a clean sheet to protect a 1-0 win, then started the following game at Las Palmas. On loan at Real Zaragoza in 2025-26 he played 15 Segunda División matches (1,305 minutes), conceding 23 goals and making 49 saves for a 68.1% save rate. The two things he does best: command his box — he claims 87% of high balls — and stay ready through long spells on the bench. The two biggest question marks: a poor set of team results and the fact that he has never finished a season as an established starter. With Jesús Owono leaving for FC Andorra, he is now Alavés’ clear No.2 in 2026-27, wearing the 13 shirt and named in the matchday squad through Matchday 6, though still without a minute behind Sivera. For clubs in Turkey, he is not a starting option, but he is worth tracking as a tall, affordable, EU-passport backup keeper.

Player Profile

Career and Transfer History

Season Statistics (2019-26 and start of 2026-27)

Zaragoza figures come from FotMob’s season record; Soccerway confirms 15 matches and a 68.1% save rate for the same campaign. Local reports quote differing match counts and win-draw-loss splits (league and cup games mixed together), so no W-D-L breakdown is given as a hard number here. He has no official minutes in 2026-27, so no current-season rates are calculated.

Who is he? Mallorca roots, a Real Madrid education, a home in Vitoria

Adrián Rodríguez Giménez was born in Palma de Mallorca on 12 December 2000. He started at the local La Salle school team, moved into RCD Mallorca’s academy in 2011 and, aged fourteen, joined Real Madrid’s La Fábrica in 2015. He spent four years in Madrid and was part of the 2018-19 UEFA Youth League squad. His family background also brought him onto Argentina’s radar: he was called up to the U20 side in October 2018 and March 2019 and won two caps.

The first key point in his file is that he has passed through two of the strongest goalkeeping schools in Spain without breaking into the first team at either. With no minutes at Real Madrid Castilla in 2019-20, he went on loan to Albacete’s reserves and had his first regular senior season (23 matches). In summer 2020 came the move that shaped his career: Alavés B.

Alavés B: four seasons, 74 matches and a slow climb

He spent four seasons with the Alavés reserve side and made 74 appearances. The value of that spell lies beyond the numbers: throughout, he trained regularly with the first team alongside Sivera and a rotating cast of backups. The club never put him up for sale; instead it extended his deal, which now runs until 30 June 2028.

From a scouting angle that cuts both ways. On the plus side, the club clearly trusts him long term. On the minus side, he stayed at reserve level until he was 24 — goalkeepers mature late, but this has still been a slow timeline.

The La Liga debut: a red card, a cold entry and a clean sheet

The clearest piece of evidence in his career arrived on 8 March 2025. When Antonio Sivera was sent off against Villarreal at Mendizorroza, Alavés took off outfielder Pau Cabanes and sent Adrián on. Coming in without a proper warm-up, mid-game and defending a 1-0 lead, is one of the toughest jobs a backup keeper can get. He kept a clean sheet and Alavés won 1-0.

With Sivera suspended, he also played the next game at Las Palmas. Two La Liga appearances are not a large sample, but they show something useful: when thrown in unexpectedly under pressure, he does not panic. For a No.2 goalkeeper, that is the quality clubs value most, and it rarely shows up in a stats table.

2025-26: an up-and-down year at a Zaragoza side that went down

He joined Real Zaragoza on a season-long loan on 11 August 2025. As the only senior goalkeeper available when he arrived, he started the season in goal. The first six league games brought three draws and three defeats. Local press noted he was barely at fault for any of the goals, but the coaching staff went looking for a change and handed the shirt to Argentine veteran Esteban Andrada.

A long wait followed. His last game of that spell was the 2-1 home defeat to Cádiz on 13 December 2025, and he then spent more than four months on the bench. In late April 2026, Andrada was handed a record 13-game ban for punching an opponent, and the gloves went back to Adrián. Coach David Navarro said he had been ready to come in at any moment. Zaragoza lost the survival fight and dropped to Primera Federación.

The season in numbers: 15 league matches, 1,305 minutes, 23 goals conceded, 1 clean sheet, 49 saves, a 68.1% save rate and an average rating of 6.98. The save rate sits close to the league average — not exceptional, but hardly poor given the defence in front of him.

Playing profile: height, box command and simple goalkeeping

His 1.95m frame sits at the heart of his game. An 87% success rate on high claims shows he is willing to come for crosses and usually takes the ball when he does. The second trait both clubs have highlighted is his reflexes: at close range, his reach helps him on the line.

With the ball at his feet he is more conservative. He is not the modern sweeper-keeper who drops between the centre-backs to direct build-up play; he prefers the safe option and goes long when needed. In Quique Sánchez Flores’ back-five Alavés, built on direct transitions, that is not a problem. For a possession-first side, though, his distribution needs a closer look.

2026-27: Owono is gone, the No.2 role is his

Back from loan, Adrián rejoined a goalkeeping group of Sivera, himself and Jesús Owono. He took the 13 shirt in the squad-number list published on 15 August 2026. On 26 August, Owono left for FC Andorra, and the hierarchy was settled: Adrián is now the direct understudy to captain Sivera.

The matchday squads confirm it. He was one of two keepers named for Matchday 4 against Osasuna on 6 September and for Matchday 6 against Valencia on 15 September. Alavés lost that Valencia game 1-0 at Mendizorroza, their first home defeat of the season. Adrián watched both games from the bench and has no official minutes in 2026-27 so far.

The core of the report: proven composure, unproven consistency

The strongest part of the file is how he reacts when thrown in. The Villarreal debut and his return to goal at Zaragoza after a four-month gap, in the middle of a relegation fight, both back that up. The weak part is that he has never played a full season as first choice. At Zaragoza he started the season in the team and ended up on the bench; when results went wrong, he was the first change.

That places him in a clear category: a reliable second goalkeeper. To be signed as a starter, he would need either a season of regular minutes or better results behind a stronger defence.

Is he a fit for the Turkish Süper Lig?

As a starter: no. As a backup: yes, especially for a club on a limited budget that wants to add height and experience to its goalkeeping group. The Süper Lig season is long, and clubs with European or cup commitments use their second keeper in real matches. Two La Liga games, fifteen Segunda División appearances and four years of reserve football give him a reasonable base for that role.

The catch is the foreign-player quota. His Spanish passport helps within the EU, but in Turkey he would still count as a foreign player. For most Süper Lig clubs, using a foreign slot on a backup keeper only makes sense if there is a real gap in the goalkeeping department.

Which Turkish clubs would suit him?

The most logical fit is an upper-mid-table club with European or cup fixtures that has to give minutes to its second keeper; there, Adrián could play cup ties and rotation weeks. A second fit is a newly promoted side that uses an experienced Turkish keeper as No.1 but wants a younger, taller option behind him.

In the second tier the picture changes: there he could be a genuine starting option, and a season of regular football might fill the gap in his CV. Any rules on foreign goalkeepers at that level, however, would need checking against the club’s quota plans.

Injuries, availability and discipline

Public records show no long-term injuries. His four-month absence at Zaragoza was a coaching decision, not a medical one. He picked up two yellow cards in 2025-26 and has no red cards on record. One useful sign for a goalkeeper is his professionalism: when he returned to the side after a long spell out, his coach went out of his way to say he was ready, which suggests he handled the bench period well.

Which leagues suit him?

He profiles as a starter for Segunda División and the top end of Primera Federación, and as a backup for mid-table clubs in La Liga, the Süper Lig, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. His Argentine ties open the South American market in theory, but with his whole career spent in Spain, the natural next step is a loan where he plays every week.

Ideal team structure and defensive fit

He will do best behind a defence that leaves the box to its keeper and trusts him to come for high balls. Back-five systems suit him because the centre-backs cover the wide spaces and let the keeper focus on his line and his area. The risk grows with teams that build short from the goalkeeper, hold a very high line and use their keeper as a sweeper; in that setup, his range off his line and his distribution would need specific testing.

Strengths

• Height and box command — 1.95 m with an 87% success rate on high claims; brings security on crosses and set pieces
• Ready under pressure — Kept a clean sheet on a cold-entry La Liga debut after a red card; returned to goal in a relegation fight after four months out
• Reflexes on the line — Uses his reach well at close range; 49 saves behind a leaky defence
• Club trust — Alavés kept him for four reserve seasons, extended his deal to 2028 and chose him over Owono as No.2
• Cost — Valued at €190-400k; a sensible outlay for a backup keeper

Areas to Improve and Risks

• Lack of regular football — Has never completed a season as first choice; lost his place at Zaragoza after starting the campaign
• Weak team results — Few wins in the games he played at Zaragoza, and the team went down. Not all on him, but it weighs on his CV
• Distribution — Not a modern build-up goalkeeper; could be limiting for possession-based sides
• Age curve — Only 2 La Liga games at 25; the window for a goalkeeper is still open but narrowing

Cost Scenarios

GegenSports Scouting Grades (/100)

Grades are GegenSports’ own editorial scouting assessment and are not taken from any other platform’s rating system. Distribution and one-on-one grades are deliberately cautious because open data in these areas is limited.

Comparable Players

Sporting Director’s Note

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and Data Note

This report compares records from LaLiga’s official player profile, Deportivo Alavés and Real Zaragoza club announcements, FotMob, Soccerway, FútbolFantasy, Norte Exprés, Aragón Digital, Hoy Aragón, El Gol Digital, Sport Aragón and English Wikipedia. Tactical assessments are GegenSports’ own editorial scouting analysis; no scouting text, grades or heat maps from any other platform were used. Source differences on shirt number (13 / 31), market value and Zaragoza match splits are flagged in the text. Data valid as of 18 September 2026.

• LaLiga official player profile — career and La Liga records
• Real Zaragoza official website — loan announcement, 11 August 2025
• FotMob — 2025-26 LaLiga Hypermotion season stats, contract and market value
• Soccerway — career breakdown, contract and market value
• Norte Exprés — Alavés 2026-27 squad numbers (15 August 2026)
• FútbolFantasy — Alavés squad list vs Valencia, 15 September 2026
• Comuniate — Alavés squad list vs Osasuna, 6 September 2026
• Aragón Digital — Zaragoza goalkeeper change, 30 April 2026
• Hoy Aragón, Sport Aragón and El Gol Digital — Zaragoza goalkeeping battle across the season
• Plaza Deportiva and Interdiario — Alavés 0-1 Valencia match reports, 15 September 2026
• English Wikipedia — youth career, career table and international record

Last updated: 18 September 2026