Brazilian full-back Rafinha has a lot to celebrate in his career. It was 20 years ago, for Coritiba, that he played his first professional match. Now, with a lot of titles conquered, he still wants more.
Last year, he was one of the leaders that made São Paulo conquer its first Copa do Brasil. In 2024, they beat Palmeiras to lift the Recopa trophy.
At Bayern München, Rafinha won every title that he disputed and almost did the same with Flamengo – with the latter, only the Club World Cup was not possible.
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What Rafinha said?
“I had the honor and privilege of passing through great clubs and living unforgettable moments in these 20 years of my career.
When I started at Coritiba, I had many dreams in my life. Today I can say that I have accomplished a great part of them.
Always with the support of my family who remained steadfast by my side in all phases of my career. I can only thank them for being my main foundation.
I lived great moments in Germany, first at Schalke and then at Bayern, with over 450 games in this country that I learned to love. I was lucky to meet great human beings who became friends, brothers that football gave me.
Back in Brazil after more than a decade abroad, I returned to one of the giants: Flamengo. A great group that led us to great achievements! The return to my country was much better than I could have imagined.
Besides these, of course I cannot fail to mention Genoa, Olympiacos and Grêmio, where I was also a champion, extremely well received and keep fond memories in my heart.
Today I live another childhood dream: playing for my team of the heart. SPFC has always been present in my life, and when the opportunity arose, I didn’t have to think twice. A special thank you to this club, management, coaching staff, employees and group mates, who live and share this dream with me every day.”
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
