[1] As a youth player, he was with both Universidad Católica[2] and Universidad de Chile youth systems, where he coincided with players such as Marcelo Salas and Cristian Leiva in the last,[3] Despite he joined Arema Malang in the 1997–98 season by suggestion of his older brother and player of the team, Juan,[4] Francisco made appearances in the 1999–2000 season, where he scored 10 goals.
[5] In addition to his brother, in the club he also coincided with his compatriot Rodrigo Araya.
[6] Previously, he played for PSIM Yogyakarta[7] and PSM Makassar.
[8] Francisco and his older brother, Juan, with whom he coincided in Indonesian football, are the sons of the former Chile international footballer Juan Rodríguez Vega[9] and the nephews of the also former footballers Manuel and Gabriel Rodríguez Vega.
[10] As a player of Arema Malang, he was well-known by his temper, being nicknamed Bad Boy.