Rafael Lima Pereira (born 1 April 1993), commonly known as Rafinha is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Mexican club Cafetaleros as a winger.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Lima Pereira[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 April 1993[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Porto Franco, Brazil[1] | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger[1] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | club The Strongest | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Flamengo | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2018 | Flamengo | 21 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Bahia (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2015 | → Atlético Goianiense (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2015 | → Daejeon Citizen (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2016 | → Metropolitano (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Thai Honda (loan) | 26 | (5) |
| 2018 | Avaí | 0 | (0) |
| 2019– | Cafetaleros | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:21, 25 December 2018 (UTC) | |||
After graduating from the youth team of Flamengo, Rafinha broke into the first team in 2013. After a series of loan deals, he left the club and joined Avaí in 2018.
Club career
Born in Porto Franco, Rafinha represented CFZ, CFZ Brasília and Flamengo as a youth.[2] After winning the 2011 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, he was given the nickname "Neymar da Gávea" (Neymar of Gávea).[1] On 27 February 2013, he was promoted to the main team, signing a deal which would keep him at the club till 2018. His contract termination fee was set at R$130 million (approx £26 million at January 2018) for foreign clubs and R$23 million (approx £5m) for Brazilian clubs. He also thanked Zico, saying that he was grateful to him not only as a player but also as a person.[3] Rafinha's monthly salary was increased from R$3,000 (£660) to R$20,000 (£4,400),[4] a salary hike of 566%.[5]
Rafinha scored his first goal for Fla in a 4–2 victory against Vasco da Gama. He played 44 matches in the season with his side winning the 2013 Copa do Brasil.[1]
On 7 January 2014, Rafinha joined Bahia on a year long loan deal, which saw Feijão moving to the opposite side.[6] In the following January he was loaned to Atlético Goianiense after becoming surplus to Flamengo's requirements.[7] He made his Goiano debut against Anapolina, scoring a goal in the 1–0 victory. However, his form dipped since then and he failed to cement his position in the first team; resulting in the club releasing him on 1 July.[8]
On 4 July 2015, Rafinha was loaned to South Korean club Daejon Citizen.[9] On 23 January 2016, he was loaned to Metropolitano.[10] In 2017, he was loaned off again, this time on a six-month deal to Thai club Thai Honda.[11] On 3 January 2018, Rafinha moved to Avaí.[12]
On 24 December 2018, Rafinha moved abroad and joined Mexican club Cafetaleros.[13]
Career statistics
- As of match played on 1 April 2018
| Club | Season | National League | State League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Flamengo | 2013[14] | Série A | 21 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 1 | — | 43 | 3 | |
| Bahia (loan) | 2014[14] | Série A | 19 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 4[a] | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| Atlético Goianiense (loan) | 2015[14] | Série A | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 25 | 3 | |
| Daejeon Citizen (loan) | 2015[14] | K League Classic | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Metropolitano (loan) | 2016[14] | Catarinense A1 | — | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| Thai Honda (loan) | 2017[14] | Thai League T1 | 26 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| Avaí | 2018[14] | Série B | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Career total | 80 | 5 | 58 | 6 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 164 | 15 | ||
Honours
- Flamengo
References
External links
- Rafinha at Soccerway