Rodrigo Tabata

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Rodrigo Tabata is a Brazilian-born footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Al Kharaitiyat in Qatar. He became a naturalized Qatari citizen and has represented the Qatar national team.

Career overview
- Early years: Played for many Brazilian clubs from 1999 to 2003.
- Goiás (2004–2005): Helped the team finish 3rd in Brasileirão and reach the Copa Libertadores for the first time.
- Santos (2006–2009): Won the Campeonato Paulista in 2006 and 2007.
- Abroad: Gaziantepspor (loan, 2008–2009); Beşiktaş (2009–2011).
- Al Rayyan era: Joined on loan in 2011, then stayed permanently from 2011 to 2020. Included a loan to Al Sadd in 2014–2015.
- Later years: Returned to Al Rayyan (2013–2015, 2023–2025) and played for Al Sadd (2020–2023). Signed with Al Kharaitiyat in 2025.

International career
- Naturalized citizen of Qatar; earned 18 caps and scored 2 goals for the Qatar national team between 2015 and 2017. His official debut was in a World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.

Notable moments and trivia
- 2012: Scored four goals in a league game against Qatar SC, earning $100,000 and the season’s top performance accolade. Won the Qatar Stars League Player of the Year that season, recording 17 goals and 9 assists.
- Passport attempt: He has Japanese grandparents and was asked to obtain a Japanese passport for AFC quota reasons, but he could not read or write Japanese.
- Longevity: In 2024, he was noted as one of the oldest players in Qatar’s top division at age 44.