Rafael Messages delivered but no guaranteed response

Team(s):

Date of Birth:	Monday, July 9, 1990
Birth Place:	Brazil
Height:	172cm
Position:	Defender
Former Clubs/Teams:	Fluminense

Biography

Rafael is a defender for Manchester United in the English Premier League. He plays on the opposite side to his identical twin brother Fabio, as a right-back. Whilst he is good at tackling and is not scared to try and take the ball off players twice his size, Rafael has impressed most United fans with his attacking play and willingness to get involved when the game becomes a battle.

Childhood

Rafael was born on 9th July 1990 in Petropolis, Brazil. With a play-mate from birth in his twin brother, the pair could always be found playing football somewhere, and their mother didn’t mind so much as they were together. The hours of football paid off when Rafael was offered a place in the Fluminese academy.

Early Career

At Fluminese, Rafael dropped off from being a right winger to become a right-back in the mould of Cafu – with endless energy and the ability to be in both boxes at the same time! His form for the Flu youth team saw him called up to the Brazil U-15 side, whilst his indomitable performances at the Nike Cup 2005 were watched with interest by Manchester United.

Current Club

Because Fluminese is a ‘partner-club’ of Manchester United, United were able to sign Rafael for just under £1m in February 2007. He was bought by Sir Alex Ferguson with the future very much in mind. Because he was still so young, Rafael stayed in Brazil until January 2008, at which point he and his family moved to England to acclimatise and adapt to the pace of the English game.

Rafael has all the attributes to do very well in the English Premier League, and has the winning mentality that is necessary to compete at the highest level. He made his competitive debut on 23rd September 2008 in the League Cup, and impressed manager Ferguson so much that he was played many times throughout the 08/09 season – with experienced professionals Wes Brown and Gary Neville kept on the sidelines.

He scored his first goal against rivals Arsenal in November 2008, when he was acclaimed for coming on as a substitute and injecting some urgency and passion into the United side. He has a very bright future at United, and will be the first-choice right-back for many years to come.

International

Rafael was called up to the Brazilian U-15 set-up after his performances for Fluminese’s youth ranks. He is an integral member of the Brazil U-17 team, which his twin brother Fabio captains. Whilst they are still relatively unknown across Brazil, Rafael’s performances for Manchester United should mean that an international call-up isn’t so far off.