Rafael Santos (footballer, born 5 February 1998)
Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos (born 5 February 1998) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a left back for Orlando City of Major League Soccer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos | ||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Londrina, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Orlando City | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2013 | Figueirense | ||
| 2014–2015 | Inter de Limeira | ||
| 2016–2017 | Mirassol | ||
| 2017 | → Atlético Madrid (youth loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Mirassol | 0 | (1) |
| 2018 | → Cruzeiro (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Cruzeiro | 15 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Chapecoense (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Inter de Limeira (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Ponte Preta (loan) | 26 | (3) |
| 2022 | → Coritiba (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2023– | Orlando City | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 April 2023 | |||
Club career
Santos developed in the academy of Mirassol, making his senior debut for the club on 2 July 2017 in the 2017 Campeonato Paulista, playing the full 90 minutes against Ferroviária in a 2–1 defeat. He scored his first goal on 27 August 2017, the opening goal in a 4–2 win over Penapolense in the same competition.
In 2018, he joined Cruzeiro, initially on loan. He made 27 appearances for the club's under-20 team including in the 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores. On 14 August 2018, Santos made his first team debut for the club as a 76th-minute substitute for David in a 2–0 Série A defeat to Vasco da Gama. Having joined Cruzeiro permanently in 2019, Santos went on loan for spells with Chapecoense, Inter de Limeira and Ponte Preta in Série B and later with Coritiba in Série A. He made a combined 106 senior appearances while in Brazil in all competitions.
On 5 January 2023, Santos joined American Major League Soccer club Orlando City ahead of the 2023 season on a two-year contract with an additional two club option years.[1]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup[lower-alpha 1] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mirassol | 2017 | — | — | — | 13[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Cruzeiro (loan) | 2018 | Série A | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Cruzeiro | 2019 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | Série B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 12[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 30 | 1 | |||
| Total | 16 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 37 | 1 | ||
| Chapecoense (loan) | 2020 | Série B | 5 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Inter de Limeira (loan) | 2021 | — | — | — | 10[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 10 | 1 | ||||
| Ponte Preta (loan) | 2021 | Série B | 26 | 3 | — | — | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| Coritiba (loan) | 2022 | Série A | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Orlando City | 2023 | MLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 62 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 3 | 106 | 6 | ||
References
- "Orlando City SC acquires Brazilian defender Rafael Santos". www.orlandocitysc.com.
- "Rafael Santos - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
- "Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos : oGol". www.ogol.com.br (in Portuguese).