Raniel Santana de Vasconcelos (born 11 June 1996), simply known as Raniel (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁɐ̃niˈɛw]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for UAE Pro League club Khor Fakkan.

Raniel
Personal information
Full nameRaniel Santana de Vasconcelos
Date of birth (1996-06-11) 11 June 1996 (age 27)
Place of birthRecife, Brazil
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)Forward
Team information
Current team
Khor Fakkan
Number11
Youth career
Santa Cruz
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2014–2016Santa Cruz41(2)
2016–2017Cruzeiro (loan)23(4)
2017–2019Cruzeiro66(12)
2019São Paulo14(1)
2020–2023Santos35(3)
2022Vasco da Gama (loan)44(16)
2023Qingdao West Coast25(15)
2024-Khor Fakkan0(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:48, 5 September 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Santa Cruz

Born in Recife, Pernambuco, Raniel started his career at futsal before moving to football, and was a Santa Cruz youth graduate.[1] He made his first team debut on 9 March 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute for Carlos Alberto in a 7–0 home routing of Salgueiro.[2]

Raniel made his Série B debut on 19 April 2014, starting in a 1–1 home draw against ABC. On 21 July, he was preventively suspended for 30 days after failing a doping exam;[3] the substance was later revealed to be cocaine.[4]

Raniel was suspended for one year in November 2014,[5] but he was able to play due to preliminary injunctions. He scored his first senior goal the following 21 March, netting the opener in a 3–0 home defeat of Serra Talhada.[6]

In May 2015, Raniel was again suspended, being out of action until September.[7] On 25 September, shortly after returning, he was suspended by FIFA until the following February,[8] but Santa Cruz managed to overturn the decision in October.[9]

Cruzeiro

On 19 March 2016, Santa Cruz agreed to loan Raniel to Cruzeiro, starting the following May, until December.[10] Initially assigned to the under-20s, he was bought outright in January 2017.[11]

Raniel made his first team debut for Cruzeiro on 5 February 2017, starting in a 2–1 home win against Tricordiano for the Campeonato Mineiro championship.[12] His Série A debut occurred on 14 May, as he replaced goalscorer Ramón Ábila in a 1–0 home success over São Paulo.

Raniel scored his first goal for Raposa on 20 August 2017, netting the last of a 2–0 home win against Sport. The following 13 March, he renewed his contract until 2022.[13]

São Paulo

On 5 July 2019, Raniel signed a five-year contract with fellow top tier club São Paulo.[14] He made his debut for the club eight days later in a 1–1 home draw against Palmeiras, and scored his first goal in a 4–0 away routing of Chapecoense.[15]

Santos

On 11 December 2019, Raniel agreed to a four-year deal with Santos, with Vitor Bueno moving in the opposite direction.[16] He made his debut for the club the following 23 January, replacing Kaio Jorge at half-time in a 0–0 Campeonato Paulista home draw against Red Bull Bragantino.[17]

Raniel scored his first goals for Peixe on 30 January 2020, netting a brace in a 2–0 home defeat of Inter de Limeira.[18] He tested positive for COVID-19 in September, subsequently recovered, but in October contracted thrombosis in his right leg; the disease was also linked as a consequence of the COVID.[19]

On 10 July 2021, after more than a year without playing, Raniel returned to action after coming on as a late substitute in a 2–3 away loss against Palmeiras.[20]

On 4 January 2022, Raniel joined Vasco da Gama on loan until the end of the year.[21] He helped the side in their return to the top tier with ten goals, and returned to his parent club in December.

Back to Santos for the 2023 season, Raniel was registered for the 2023 Campeonato Paulista after a request by head coach Odair Hellmann.[22] On 13 March, after only featuring twice, he rescinded his contract.[23]

Qingdao West Coast

On 7 April 2023, Raniel joined China League One club Qingdao West Coast.[24] Scoring a hat-trick away against eventual champions Sichuan Jiuniu on 2 September 2023,[25] he proceeded to score 15 goals in the season. Thus, he became the joint second top scorer of the league as Qingdao West Coast finish second and achieve promotion for the first time in club history to the Chinese Super League. [26]

Khor Fakkan

On 9 January 2024, Raniel joined UAE Pro League club Khor Fakkan. [26]

Career statistics

As of 2 December 2023[27]
ClubSeasonLeagueState LeagueCupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Santa Cruz2014Série B1030100050
201571810000152
2016Série A00100209[a]0210
Total812113090412
Cruzeiro2017Série A102308100213
2018324103726[b]0559
20192083001[b]0113
Total446216153708715
São Paulo2019Série A141141
Santos2020Série A4072003[b]0142
2021151201[c]0181
20230020000020
Total191922040343
Vasco da Gama (loan)2022Série B3110125214516
Qingdao West Coast2023China League One2515202715
Career total1413463142441109024852

Honours

Club

Santa Cruz

Cruzeiro

Individual

References

External links