Rafael "Rafa" Vicente Ferreira Santos (born 14 February 1997) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Vicente Ferreira Santos | ||
| Date of birth | 14 February 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Cascais, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2012 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2012–2014 | Estoril | ||
| 2014–2015 | Real SC | ||
| 2015–2016 | Oeiras | ||
| 2016 | Casa Pia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | Moura | 30 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Olímpico Montijo | 24 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Amora | 17 | (0) |
| 2020 | Fátima | 5 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Oriental | 20 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Belenenses SAD | 3 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Real | 19 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | Stal Mielec | 13 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Al-Shabab Club | ||
| 2025–2026 | Górnik Łęczna | 13 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:55, 1 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editSantos is a youth product of Flamengo, Estoril, Real SC, Oeiras and Casa Pia. He spent most of his early career in the Campeonato de Portugal . He began his senior career with Moura, and followed that with stints at Olímpico Montijo, Amora Fátima, and Oriental. On 19 June 2019, he signed a three-year contract with Belenenses SAD in the Primeira Liga.[2] Santos was called to the senior team after a COVID-19 outbreak hit the squad. One of only 9 starters in the squad for the match, he made his professional debut with B-SAD in a 7–0 Primeira Liga loss to Benfica on 24 July 2021 that ended up being called off.[3]
On 14 July 2023, Ekstraklasa side Stal Mielec announced the signing of Santos on a two-year deal, with an option for another year.[4] He and Stal agreed to part ways on 6 September 2024.[5]
In October 2024, Santos signed with Bahraini side Al-Shabab Club.[6] He made 16 appearances and scored twice for Al-Shabab across the 2024–25 season.[7]
On 1 August 2025, Santos returned to Poland to join I liga club Górnik Łęczna on a two-year contract.[7] On 1 April 2026, he unilaterally terminated his contract, citing "unsuitable conditions".[8]
References
edit- ↑ "Nasza kadra" (in Polish). Stal Mielec. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ↑ "A BOLA". A Bola.
- ↑ "▶ Vídeo: Jogo termina antes do tempo por falta de jogadores. Benfica vence a B SAD possível". TSF Rádio Notícias. 27 November 2021.
- ↑ "Rafa Santos zawodnikiem PGE FKS Stali Mielec" (in Polish). Stal Mielec. 14 July 2023.
- ↑ "Rafa Santos odchodzi ze Stali Mielec". 90minut.pl (in Polish). 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ↑ "Rafa Santos w Al-Shabab Club" [Rafa Santos joins Al-Shabab Club]. 90minut.pl (in Polish). 13 October 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Rafa Santos piłkarzem Górnika" [Rafa Santos is a Górnik player] (in Polish). sda. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ "Mocne pożegnanie Rafy Santosa z Górnikiem Łęczna. "To nie były odpowiednie warunki"". podkarpacielive.pl (in Polish). 1 April 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
External links
edit- Rafael Santos at Soccerway
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