The Transfer Record: Peter Rodrigues

As a youngster, Peter was selected to represent both Cardiff City and Wales schoolboys, before joining the Bluebirds as a 17-year-old in May 1961, just after the Welsh club had been relegated from the First Division.

He made his first team debut in September 1963 at Sunderland, playing alongside Welsh legends John Charles, Mel Charles and Ivor Allchurch.

After six first team games Peter became a Wales Under-23s international. He made his full international debut in 1965. He was a fixture in Cardiff City’s first team for three years, playing in the European Cup Winners' Cup Quarter-Finals in 1965 when the Bluebirds were narrowly defeated by Real Zaragoza.

Later in 1965, Cardiff refused to let Peter sign for Tommy Docherty’s Chelsea. He was given a new contract, but in December 1965, he was allowed to join Matt Gillies’ Leicester, an established First Division side, for £42,500.

Peter made his Foxes debut on New Year’s Day 1966 at Filbert Street against Stoke City. He quickly made his mark by laying on a cross for Derek Dougan to head in the only goal of the match.

His extremely pacy overlapping full-back play combined with a mastery of the sliding tackle quickly endeared him to the fans.

For the next five years, Rodrigues was the regular first choice right-back at Filbert Street. He also won 16 more full international caps (out of a total of 40), including two against Brazil, when he marked the legendary Mané Garrincha.  

During the 1968/69 season, Peter was hindered by an ankle injury. For one game he had six cortisone injections, but with Frank O’Farrell now in charge, he recovered and was involved in every tie in the run to the 1969 FA Cup Final, including the famous win at Anfield, although they lost 1-0 to Manchester City.

Three weeks after the final, City lost 3-2 at Old Trafford and were relegated after 12 seasons in the top-flight.

The next season, when Leicester very narrowly missed promotion back the top flight, Peter had a clash with O’Farrell and he requested a transfer.

In October 1970, after making 171 appearances for the Foxes, he moved to Sheffield Wednesday, where he spent the next five years. He recently told us that he missed Filbert Street and often visited the city as he found it difficult to break away.

In July 1975, Peter moved to Second Division side Southampton and, at the end of his first season at the Dell, he famously captained the Saints to an FA Cup Final victory over Docherty’s Manchester United.

He retired from playing a year later, and has since worked as a publican in Hampshire and Wales before setting up a Soccer School in Tenby before retiring first to Spain and then to the South coast.