Rodrigo Zalazar

Early career

Zalazar joined the youth categories of Albacete Balompié in 2007, aged eight. In 2014, he moved to Málaga CF and was initially assigned to the Cadete squad. In 2018, after finishing his formation, Zalazar was promoted to Málaga's reserve team in Segunda División B, but remained unregistered for the entire season after the club had no free registration spots; he then refused a loan to a Tercera División side, as his contract was due to expire in the following summer.

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 2 July 2019, Zalazar signed a four-year contract with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt on 2 July 2019.

Loan to Korona Kielce

Three days after joining Eintracht Frankfurt, Ekstraklasa side Korona Kielce signed Zalazar on a one-year loan deal for 2019–20 season. He made his professional debut on 20 July 2019, coming on as a 70th minute substitute for Erik Pačinda in a 1–0 league win against Raków Częstochowa. Rarely used in the first team, Zalazar also played for Korona Kielce II in the III liga, scoring three goals in 10 appearances.

Loan to FC St. Pauli

On 6 August 2020, 2. Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli announced the signing of Zalazar on a season-long loan deal. He scored his first professional goal on 19 October, netting the equalizer through a penalty in a 2–2 home draw against 1. FC Nürnberg. Zalazar finished the 2020–21 season with six goals in 35 appearances overall, as St. Pauli finished in the 10th position.

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Born in Spain to Uruguayan parents, Zalazar was eligible to represent both Uruguay and Spain at international level. While his older brother chose Spain, he followed his father's footsteps and chose to play for Uruguay. Zalazar started to feature for the nation's under-20 team in 2018, being also included in Fabián Coito's squad for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship in January 2019. He played seven matches in the tournament, helping his team to finish third. In June 2023, Zalazar received his first call-up to the senior team for friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba. He made his debut on 14 June, scoring two goals in a 4–1 win against the former. On 31 May 2026, he was named in Uruguay's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Club

As of match played 9 September 2026

International

As of match played 18 November 2025

Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zalazar goal.

Zalazar comes from a footballing family. He is the son of former Uruguayan international footballer José Zalazar. Nicknamed El Osito (The Bear Cub), he inherited the nickname from his father, who was known as El Oso (The Bear). He was born in Albacete, Castilla–La Mancha, while his father was playing for the local club Albacete. Both of his brothers, Kuki Zalazar and Mauro Zalazar, are also professional footballers who have represented Spain and Uruguay, respectively, at youth level.