Rafael
| Birthdate: | 09 Jul 1990 | |||||||||
| Birthplace: | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |||||||||
| Position: | Right back | |||||||||
| Appearances | 114 | |||||||||
| Goals Scored | 4 | |||||||||
| Joined United: | 01 Jul 2008 | |||||||||
| United Debut: | 17 Aug 2008 v Newcastle (H) | |||||||||
| International: |
Rio de Janeiro-born Rafael is
very much a modern full-back: he loves to bomb down the right flank -
but he's not all just Brazilian flair, he's also made of tough stuff.
Rafael is a full Brazil international and settled quicker than his twin Fabio after making his debut against Peterborough in Barry Fry's testimonial back in August, 2008. It was soon evident United had a ready-made first-teamer on their hands, even though he was only 18 at the time. Finally, it was the end of one long journey from his former Brazilian club Fluminense, and the start of a new one with United.
What
made Rafael's debut all the more startling was that he hadn't played
for over a year. The Reds had been waiting for international clearance
on the pair's transfer from Brazil, so they had been unable to turn out
for United during that time and, in fact, didn't play any regular
competitive football. Both brothers were spotted by Les Kershaw, then
Academy Manager, in the summer of 2005 while playing for Fluminense in a
Hong Kong youth tournament.
Rafael seems dauntless, and his ten-minute cameo on his competitive debut against Newcastle appeared to back up that claim, as did his first goal in a red shirt - a stunning last-minute by: Manutd.com |
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