Enzo Roco

Enzo Pablo Roco Roco or just Enzo Roco is a Chilean professional footballer playing as a central defender for Cruz Azul in the Liga MX in Chile. He was born on 16 August 1992 in Ovalle, Chile. At 6 feet 3 inches, Roco uses his height well to make clearances and is good at set-pieces.

Background

Roco started playing football at Universidad Catolica in 2000 and spent his youth career there before moving to the senior team. He stayed there for 14 long years, playing most of his football for the reserve team before finding space in the main side.

Roco has represented the following teams - Universidad Catolica, Elche, Espanyol, Cruz Azul, Chile U17 and Chile.

Debut

Roco made his professional debut for Universidad Catolica on 8 May 2011 and was sent off in the 0-0 tie against Union Espanola.

On 15 February 2012, Roco made his international debut for Chile in a 0-2 away loss to Paraguay.

Rise to Glory

Roco played for the Chile U17 team before finding himself in contention for the senior squad. He played a few games for the youth side and made his international debut at the age of 21. He started the match and played the full 90 minutes in a 0-2 loss to neighbours Paraguay.

Roco’s first goal came on 22 March 2012, where he scored a header in a 3-1 home win against Peru. He played 9 international friendlies, 6 World Cup qualification matches, and 2 Copa America matches. He was part of the Chile squad that won the Copa America in 2016, beating favourites Argentina in the penalty shootout.

Roco was also part of the 30-man shortlist for the 2014 World Cup, but was not included by Jorge Sampaoli in the final 23-man squad. Roco looks forward to playing in a World Cup for his country with a long career ahead of him.

Club Career

Roco spent 14 years of his life at Universidad Catolica, 11 of them being as a youth and reserve player. He was selected for the main side only in 2011 and he became a regular starter from there on. He played 84 matches in all competitions, scoring 7 goals and providing 3. Roco won the Copa Chile in 2011 with them.

In the summer of 2014, Roco joined Spanish club Elche CF on loan without a buyout clause. He soon made his debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Granada CF. He played 36 games in that season, making 32 appearances in the league. He also provided 2 assists during his time.

Another loan move came calling when he joined RCD Espanyol, a fellow club to Elche CF. The deal also included an option to buy. He spent a season there, playing 35 games and scoring 2 goals.

In June 2016, Roco returned to his homeland by joining Cruz Azul in the Liga MX. He currently plays there and has been a crucial part of the Chilean club. So far, he has played 52 games for them and has scored 3 goals.