Rafael Carioca Brazilian footballer, midfielder. Date of Birth: 18.06.1989 Country: Brazil

Biography of Rafael Carioca

Rafael Carioca, whose real name is Rafael Pereira de Souza, is a Brazilian football player currently playing as a midfielder for the club "Spartak" (Moscow). He was born on June 18, 1989, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since childhood, Rafael dreamed of becoming a famous football player, and he showed great potential from an early age. His coaches were particularly impressed by his speed and his excellent vision of the field and his teammates, which led them to see him as a promising player.

At the age of fifteen, Rafael Carioca joined the youth club "Sendas" in Rio de Janeiro. He played for the club for a whole season and performed quite well. After that, he was invited to join the "Pão de Açúcar" club in São Paulo. In the early stages of the 2007-2008 season, Rafael Carioca was called up to the Brazilian youth national team and played several games, showcasing his skills. Upon returning to São Paulo, he was promoted to the first team of the "Pão de Açúcar" club.

Unfortunately, Rafael struggled to adapt to the cold and humid climate and was forced to return to Rio de Janeiro, where he was invited to play for the "Profute" club. Later, he transferred to the youth team of "Grêmio" in Porto Alegre. However, Rafael was not satisfied with playing for the youth team and abruptly decided to return to Rio de Janeiro. Unexpectedly, in the middle of 2008, he was promoted to the first team of the "Grêmio" club, signing a professional contract until 2013.

As foreign clubs, particularly the Moscow-based organizations "Spartak" and "Lokomotiv," showed interest in Rafael Carioca, both the player and the club "Grêmio" were dissatisfied with the situation. As a result, they mutually agreed to terminate the contract, and Rafael Carioca was sold to Moscow's "Spartak" for eight million dollars. This move fulfilled Rafael's longtime dream of playing in Europe. On December 15, 2008, he signed a five-year contract with the Russian club "Spartak" (Moscow) and has been playing for them ever since.