The lives of professional footballers are often shrouded in mysteries which would not ordinarily be public information, as many of them go out of their way to keep their private lives private.
In an interview granted after helping Fulham to pick up a point against Newcastle United in the Premier League, striker Rodrigo Muniz revealed that he had been dealing with a personal tragedy last season.
The Brazilian was emotional as he revealed the difficulty of the 2025-26 season, particularly on a personal level, as his wife had suffered a miscarriage during her pregnancy.
'The goal was for my baby': Muniz opens up on tragic events
Rodrigo Muniz came off the bench for Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham in the second half against Newcastle, replacing Gonzalo Garcia for his eighth substitute appearance of the campaign.
The 25-year-old justified his inclusion with a fine goal for his side, an improvised flick to equalise in the 83rd minute of the encounter.
After the game, he spoke with the club's media team, answering questions relating to his performance and how the game went.
"Now I can say it, I had a surgery, my wife was pregnant last season and unfortunately we lost the baby but God is good all the time and now she's pregnant again. The goal was for my baby, and I hope this season will be different than last season," he said.
Muniz was strongly linked with a move away from Craven Cottage in the winter due to his disappointing campaign with the club last time out.
His goal against the Magpies was his first in the Premier League since August 2025, a run of 1,062 minutes without a league goal.
The Brazilian scored just one goal in the entirety of the 2025-26 season but has now scored thrice across all competitions this term.
He would have been the natural option to replace Raul Jimenez in the starting line-up this season, but has had to be content with limited minutes while manager Arbeloa prefers Garcia leading the line.
Fulham extend unbeaten run to four games, up to 15th
Arbeloa's job at Craven Cottage was reportedly at risk last month, but his side have turned it around in the games since and are in 15th place in the league.
The Cottagers picked up successive wins over Hull City and Coventry City before holding Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Villa Park last week.
Against Newcastle, they largely controlled the game but struggled to fashion openings to score, and were duly punished when Jacob Murphy scored for the Magpies in the 80th minute.
Three minutes later, the scores were level again as Muniz instinctively flicked an effort into the back of the net to end his long wait for a Premier League goal.
His side have now lost just once in seven league games and are two points clear of Manchester United, who occupy 18th place.
Up next for Muniz and co. is the international break, after which they will travel to Manchester to take on Manchester City, who have lost each of their last three league games.
