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 in Major League Soccer.

Rafael Santos
Santos with Orlando City in 2024
Personal information
Full name Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos
Date of birth (1998-02-05) 5 February 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
Orlando City
Number 3
Youth career
2012–2013 Figueirense
2014–2015 Inter de Limeira
2016–2017 Mirassol
2017Atlético Madrid (youth loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Mirassol 0 (0)
2018Cruzeiro (loan) 1 (0)
2019–2022 Cruzeiro 15 (0)
2020Chapecoense (loan) 5 (0)
2021Inter de Limeira (loan) 0 (0)
2021Ponte Preta (loan) 26 (3)
2022Coritiba (loan) 15 (0)
2023– Orlando City 58 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024

Club career

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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] On 20 May, Santos scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win at Inter Miami with the help of an assist from Duncan McGuire.[2]

On March 9, 2024, Santos assisted in the fastest goal in club history when he won the ball from Minnesota United and passed it to McGuire, who scored in under thirteen seconds, beating Tesho Akindele's previous record of 31 seconds. However, Orlando would go on to lose the game 3–2.[3]

Career statistics

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As of match played 30 November 2024[4][5]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental Playoffs[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Mirassol 2017 13[c] 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[d] 0 4 0
2021 Série B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 13 0 5 0 12[d] 1 30 1
Total 16 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 15 1 37 1
Chapecoense (loan) 2020 Série B 5 0 0 0 5 0
Inter de Limeira (loan) 2021 10[c] 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 Major League Soccer 26 1 1 0 1 0 3 0 3[e] 0 34 1
2024 32 1 3 0 5 0 3[e] 0 42 1
Total 58 2 1 0 4 0 8 0 6 0 77 2
Career total 120 5 7 0 4 0 8 0 44 3 183 8

Honors

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Chapecoense

Cruzeiro

References

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  1. ^ "Orlando City SC acquires Brazilian defender Rafael Santos". Orlando City. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Match report: Orlando City earns 3-1 victory over Inter Miami CF". Orlando City. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ^ David, Austin (9 March 2024). "Rapid Reactions: Orlando falls late to Minnesota United". Orlando City. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Rafael Santos - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  5. ^ "Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos : oGol". www.ogol.com.br (in Portuguese).
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