Ex-Man Utd player forced to change name by new club

Robin Bairner

• 11 Aug 2025 16:30 BST
• 4 min read

News

Former Manchester United star Marcos Rojo has been told to change his name after signing for Racing Club in Argentina.

Rojo was once a highly rated player at Man Utd, where he was signed for €20 million from Sporting CP.

He was a valued defensive option at Old Trafford because of his versatility and combativity, and had it not been for serious injury in 2017, he would surely have amassed more than his 122 appearances for the Red Devils.

Current ETV

Marcos Rojo

D (C)

Marcos Rojo

D (C)

€0.6M

ETV Range

€0.4M - €0.7M

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Ultimately, he was forced out of the club by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and returned to Argentina, where he has played the last four seasons for Boca Juniors.

His contract with the Buenos Aires side was terminated in spectacular fashion earlier this month after a buildup of tension with head coach Miguel Angel Russo.

Rojo was frozen out of first-team training following a difficult year that has seen him struggle with injuries and poor form. This came to a head after a 1-0 loss at Huracan, a defeat that meant Boca had gone 11 matches without a win – their worst run in history.

Former Man Utd player Juan Roman Riquelme, now president of Boca, gave Rojo a proposal that saw his contract mutually terminated after Russo indicated that the 35-year-old centre-back would not be considered for selection.

Why Rojo became a problem

Rojo has since signed a deal with Racing Club but the drama has not stopped there for the defender.

“Marcos is now a player for the PRIME BIGGER. The defender signed a one-year contract and is now available for the next Copa Libertadores match,” the club announced on Sunday.

Accompanying this announcement, Racing posted an image of the player in his new shirt, which was branded ‘Marcos R.’ with the No.6.

Ole reports that ‘Rojo’ would not be tolerated on the back of his jersey.

Why? Quite simply because ‘rojo’ is the Spanish word for red, which is associated with Racing’s rivals Independiente by head coach Gustavo Costas.

“Rojo was erased in one stroke because his last name represents the forbidden colour for a coach so fanatical about Racing that he doesn’t even consume foods of that colour, such as bell peppers, tomatoes, or gelatin, to name a few examples. And even less does he allow that shade to be seen in clothing…” Ole reports.

So the era of Rojo is over, and the time of Marcos has begun.

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