Rúben da Rocha Rodrigues

Rúben Rodrigues opened the scoring in the third minute of the 2026 EFL League One play-off final at Wembley, and Bolton went on to beat Stockport County 4–1. It was the earliest goal in an EFL play-off final at Wembley since 2020. He had joined Bolton in January that year on a free transfer and an 18-month contract, so the goal came in his first season at the club.

His route to that point was an unusual one. Born in Portugal, he came through youth football in the Netherlands, at VV Boskant, Den Bosch and Wilhelmina Boys. He holds Portuguese nationality; the Dutch label sometimes attached to him comes only from those years. At Wilhelmina Boys he moved into senior football in the amateur Derde Klasse and scored 44 goals in the championship season, before a spell at VV Gemert. Den Bosch signed him in 2018, and he spent the 2018–19 season on loan at De Treffers, scoring four goals in 17 appearances.

Notts County was where his career took hold. He arrived on a free transfer in August 2020 and scored 46 league goals in 113 league appearances over three seasons. He was named National League Player of the Month in May 2021 and won the club's Fans' Player of the Season award for 2020–21. He was also in the National League Team of the Year for 2021–22 and 2022–23. In 2023 County won the National League play-offs and went up to League One.

Oxford United signed him that June, again on a free transfer. He scored 13 goals in 83 league appearances, and Oxford won the League One play-offs in 2024 to reach the Championship. Rodrigues left for Brazil in June 2025, joining Vitória, where he made four appearances.

At Bolton he has scored four goals in 15 appearances as of May 2026. One came in the 88th minute against Wycombe Wanderers in March, in a 3–2 win that Bolton took after a comeback. Two months later came the goal at Wembley.