National Athletic officially presented to Nicolás Rodríguez Calderón, who despite his youth (21 years old) arrives as an important reinforcement for the 2026 season. The right winger comes from playing for Orlando City in the United States, under the direction of the Antioquia coach Oscar Pareja, Former figure of DIM, Deportivo Cali and the Colombian National Team.
Precisely, the Paisa strategist, who has led the American club for five years, highlighted Rodríguez’s abilities and his enormous projection. “He is skilled, fast and has a very useful left profile. The experience in the MLS will undoubtedly help him improve his playing intensities and take advantage of the talent he has,” Pareja commented to this newspaper.
Regarding his personal aspect, the coach stated that Nicolás is a very noble person and added that “he brings energy and verticality on the sides; in addition, he has the ability to score goals.”
Born on August 22, 2004 in San José del Guaviare, Rodríguez is left-footed and usually plays as a winger with a changed profile or as a creative midfielder. He measures 1.74 meters and, according to experts, embodies the prototype of the “modern winger” of Colombian football. He has outstanding short dribbling and is very effective one-on-one, thanks to a low center of gravity that allows him to change direction quickly.
Another of his great virtues is the set piece, as he is a regular taker of free kicks and corners. Unlike traditional wingers who only look for the baseline, Nicolás Rodríguez has the criteria of a “10” to assist his teammates.
Read also: Experience and polyfunctionality: What to expect from Milton Casco in Nacional?
His birthplace was Fortaleza
He trained and debuted at Fortaleza CEIF, where he was a key player in both the promotion and consolidation of the team in Primera A during 2024 and 2025. His process includes calls to the microcycles of the Colombia Under-20 National Team (under the command of César Torres), and his performance has put him on the radar of the senior team for the future.
Although he is not a center forward, guarantees a scoring rate of between 5 and 8 goals per seasona, many of medium distance. Between 2024 and 2025 he was among the top assists in the BetPlay League due to his precision in the crosses.
Playing style and market
When playing on the right as a left-hander, his natural movement is to hook towards the center to look for the shot or the filtered pass. Due to these conditions, Nicolás was one of the most coveted players on the current market. In addition to Nacional, Millonarios inquired about its services due to its resale potential. And from abroad, MLS and Argentine clubs (such as Talleres de Córdoba) monitored their physical and technical data.
You may be interested in: “I lived through mistakes, learnings, difficult moments”: the season that shaped Juan José Arias in Nacional
Analysts highlight, above all, his personality: he does not evade the responsibility of asking for the ball at critical moments. Likewise, his time in Fortaleza and Orlando City gave him an emotional intelligence and media management that is uncommon in athletes of his age.
After the imminent departure of Marino Hinestroza who until yesterday still did not report to Nacional’s preseason, waiting to be sold abroad, Nicolás emerges as a good alternative in the attack of the team led by Diego Arias for the 2026 season.
