Felipe Rodríguez-Gentile

Felipe Rodríguez-Gentile (born 4 October 2006), sometimes referred to as Felipe or Felipinho, is a footballer currently playing as a forward for Championship side Preston North End.

Early life
Rodríguez-Gentile was born in Brazil to Argentine parents, Fernando and Agustina, a chemist and biologist, respectively, who left Argentina in 2002 following the Argentine great depression. His parents settled in Vinhedo, a municipality in the state of São Paulo, where Rodríguez-Gentile and his brother Mateo were born. Having also spent time living in Milan, Italy, Rodríguez-Gentile emigrated from São Paulo to Liverpool in January 2020.

Club career

Early career
While attending the Merchant Taylors' Boys' School in Crosby, a friend invited him to join his Sunday league team, Huyton Juniors. Having helped Huyton Juniors retain the Merseyside and Halewood League championship title, Rodríguez-Gentile's performances earned him a trial at Premier League club Liverpool, though he was ultimately not offered a place in their academy, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

Preston North End
He would go on to join Preston North End in 2021, with the club pre-arranging a two-year scholarship, beginning summer 2023, after recognising his potential. In Round 3 of the 2022–23 FA Youth Cup, specifically Preston's tie with Rotherham United on 9 December 2022, Rodríguez-Gentile scored five of Preston's goals in a 6–1 win. Following this performance, he began being linked with a number of Premier League sides, including Liverpool and Manchester United. Preston manager Ryan Lowe criticised the media following these links, stating that there had been no official approach from any club, and that he did not want Rodríguez-Gentile to get carried away.

Another Rodríguez-Gentile goal helped Preston progress past Gillingham in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup, as they won 2–1 on 18 January 2023. He would score again as Preston beat Luton Town 3–2 in the following round on 6 February, but was unable to prevent the club from being knocked out by Southampton in the Quarter-finals. Despite his side being knocked out, Rodríguez-Gentile finished as the tournament's second top-scorer, with seven goals.

The following season, having signed a scholarship deal with the club, Rodríguez-Gentile was included in the first team squad ahead of pre-season. In Preston's opening game of pre-season, a friendly game against Bamber Bridge, Rodríguez-Gentile was brought on as a second-half substitute for Mikey O'Neill, and went on to score in Preston's 7–0 win. This performance earned him a place in the squad travelling to Spain, where he would continue to impress, scoring twice more in friendlies. In a 3–0 win against Gibraltar opposition Bruno's Magpies, he calmly finished early in the second half, before scoring a consolation in a 2–1 home loss to Ipswich Town on 19 July.

Rodríguez-Gentile was included on the bench for Preston's opening game of the 2023–24 season, which they would go on to draw 1–1 away at Bristol City. He remained on the bench for the next four Championship fixtures, but due to Preston's form, winning all four matches, he found himself unable to make his debut.

International career
Rodríguez-Gentile is eligible to represent Argentina, Brazil and Spain at international level. In May 2023, he posted a photo to his Instagram story, standing in front of his television with his hand on his chest as the Argentine under-20 side stood for the national anthem ahead of their 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup match against Nigeria. His father has stated that it is Rodríguez-Gentile's "dream" to represent Argentina.

While on holiday in Argentina, he was contacted by Argentine Football Association scout Juan Martín Tassi, who enquired with his parents about the possibility of Rodríguez-Gentile representing Argentina at youth international level. In September 2023, he was called up to the Argentina national under-17 football team for the first time by manager Diego Placente. He went on to play in two hybrid friendlies for Argentina’s under-17 team against the academy teams of Boca Juniors and Barracas Central.

Career statistics

Club

Notes

References

2006 births
Living people
People from Vinhedo
Footballers from São Paulo (state)
Brazilian people of Argentine descent
Brazilian people of Spanish descent
Brazilian emigrants to England
Argentine men's footballers
Brazilian men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Preston North End F.C. players