Worst game ever?! Ex-Man Utd star shatters team-mate's skull and at fault for late goal in nightmare Copa Libertadores match

Uncompromising centre-half Rojo is now 35 years of age, but he has lost none of his appetite for the game. He remains as full-blooded as ever, with there seemingly no challenge that he will back down from. That tends to stand him in good stead, but means that he can cross the line of over-exuberance at times.

The juices were certainly flowing for Rojo when he lined up for Racing in continental competition. He is determined to make a good impression there having completed a switch from Boca Juniors in August.

Rojo had spent four years with Boca, having returned to his homeland after bringing a testing stint with Premier League giants Manchester United to a close. He took in 122 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring two goals, but was rarely a guaranteed starter at Old Trafford.

He does, however, boast vast experience - with 61 international caps to his name - and is putting those qualities to good use with Racing. They had been hoping for a more productive outing last time out, though, with Rojo finding himself at the centre of two unfortunate incidents.

Jorge Carrascal registered the only goal for Flamengo in a keenly-fought Copa Libertadores contest, with said strike deflecting into the back of the net off Rojo. He had already left club colleague Santiago Sosa floored after catching him with a stray elbow.

Both men competed for a high cross, with Rojo using his arms to get extra leverage. He clattered Sosa when leaping towards the ball, leaving the 26-year-old midfielder sporting a fracture to his upper jaw and a bloodied right eye - which was heavily swollen. Sosa was taken to hospital in Rio de Janeiro for further medical checks.

He will sit out the second leg of an epic clash with Flamengo, with Racing fearing that he could be sidelined until December. Rojo is eager to put the incident behind him as quickly as possible, with there still major silverware for him to chase down.

Rojo told reporters after coming unstuck against Brazilian opposition: "It’s not the result we wanted. But we played well until the end against strong opponents on a difficult pitch. Carrascal took a shot that deflected off a team-mate, hit me on the leg, and our keeper Nazareno Colombo couldn’t stop it. It was an unfair outcome, but we can turn the result around in front of our own fans. Flamengo will have a lot of pressure. Let’s see if they can live with us."

Rojo remains in his homeland having snubbed the opportunity in 2024 to link up with iconic fellow countryman Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. He said at the time of rejecting interest from MLS: "Leo called me, it’s not like it was just anyone or an intermediary, no one. I spoke with Leo Messi, who told me about the possibility of going to Inter. Imagine what that means for any footballer.

"The truth is I was not convinced to leave Boca, I had recently renewed. The only thing I did was communicate with Roman (Riquelme) to tell him about the situation and to tell him that if he needed me here I was going to stay. I wasn’t convinced to leave, I didn’t want to leave. If he told me that he needed me here for this year, I was 100% convinced to continue in Boca and I want to continue doing it."

Messi is still in South Florida, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner committing to a new three-year contract that will take him through 2028. He is expected to grace next summer’s World Cup finals, with Rojo and Co looking for the all-time great to help Argentina defend their global title at that event.