Rafael_(football_goalkeeper)
Rafael (footballer, born March 1982)
Brazilian footballer
Rafael de Andrade Bittencourt Pinheiro (born 3 March 1982)[3] simply known as Rafael, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.[4] He also holds an Italian passport.[5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael de Andrade Bittencourt Pinheiro | ||
| Date of birth | (1982-03-03) 3 March 1982 (age 42)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995 | Nacional-SP | ||
| 1996 | Corinthians | ||
| 1997–2000 | Juventus-SP[2] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Santos | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | São Bento | 23 | (0) |
| 2007–2016 | Verona | 282 | (0) |
| 2016–2020 | Cagliari | 38 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Spezia | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 352 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early career
He left Brazil for Italy after playing 17 (out of 19) matches in 2007 Campeonato Paulista for Esporte Clube São Bento, ahead of Maurício Assoline. He was an understudy of Júlio Sérgio and Fábio Costa at Santos FC.
Verona
In Verona, after missing only three games (of a possible 136) in four seasons of Lega Pro, the third highest football league in Italy, Rafael played a crucial role in helping his team reach the 2010–11 Lega Pro Division One playoffs and win them, to return to Serie B after a four-year absence.[6] Two seasons later, the Brazilian goalkeeper and his teammates of Verona reach the second place and were promoted to Serie A, with Rafael that impose itself as the best goalkeeper in the junior category (only 29 goals conceded in 40 games).[7]
Rafael was successively confirmed as first choice keeper for the club's Serie A comeback season in 2013, despite the signing of Bulgarian international Nikolay Mihaylov, playing 37 games out of 38 during the full championship.[1]
Cagliari
In 2016 he was sold to Cagliari, with Marco Fossati moved to opposite direction.[8] Cagliari also loaned out its backup goalkeeper Simone Colombi in the same week.
Spezia
On 17 September 2020, Rafael joined Spezia on a free transfer.[9]
- As of 3 September 2021
| Team | Season | Domestic League |
Domestic Cup |
European Competition1 |
Other Tournaments2 |
Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2001 | 0 | −0 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 0 | −0 | ||
| 2002 | 0 | −0 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 0 | −0 | |||
| 2003 | 8 | −8 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 8 | −8 | |||
| 2004 | 0 | −0 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 0 | −0 | |||
| 2005 | 0 | −0 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 0 | −0 | |||
| Total | 8 | -8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0 | 8 | -8 | |
| São Bento | 2006 | 0 | −0 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 0 | −0 | ||
| 2007 | 0 | −0 | 0 | −0 | – | – | 0 | −0 | |||
| Total | 0 | -0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0 | 0 | -0 | |
| Hellas Verona | 2007–08 | 34 | −41 | 1 | −1 | – | 2 | −1 | 37 | −43 | |
| 2008–09 | 34 | −32 | 2 | −3 | – | – | 36 | −35 | |||
| 2009–10 | 31 | −18 | 4 | −5 | – | 4 | −3 | 39 | −26 | ||
| 2010–11 | 34 | −30 | 2 | −2 | – | 4 | −2 | 40 | −34 | ||
| 2011–12 | 40 | −39 | 3 | −7 | – | 2 | −3 | 45 | −49 | ||
| 2012–13 | 40 | −29 | 4 | −6 | – | – | 44 | −35 | |||
| 2013–14 | 37 | −63 | 1 | −0 | – | – | 38 | −63 | |||
| 2014–15 | 20 | −35 | 2 | −6 | – | – | 22 | −41 | |||
| 2015–16 | 12 | −18 | 1 | −1 | – | – | 13 | −19 | |||
| Total | 282 | -305 | 20 | -31 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -9 | 314 | -345 | |
| Cagliari | 2015–16 | 1 | −1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | −1 | ||
| 2016–17 | 21 | −32 | 1 | −3 | – | – | 22 | −35 | |||
| 2017–18 | 10 | −11 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | −11 | |||
| 2018–19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | −1 | – | – | 1 | −1 | |||
| 2019–20 | 6 | −11 | 1 | −0 | – | – | 7 | −11 | |||
| Total | 38 | -55 | 3 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | -59 | |
| Spezia | 2020–21 | 3 | −5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | −5 | ||
| Career total | 331 | -273 | 23 | -35 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -9 | 366 | -417 | |
1European competitions include the UEFA Champions League.
2Other tournaments include the Supercoppa Italiana and Serie B relegation play–offs.
- "Scheda anagrafica di De Andrade Bittencou Rafael Pinheiro" (in Italian). AIC Football. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- "Muralha brasileira na Itália: Sem sofrer gols fora de casa há quase um ano, Rafael, do Verona, é o goleiro menos vazado do calcio na temporada". Esporte Site (in Portuguese). 3 March 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- In this name, Andrade Bittencourt Pinheiro is the surname. According to Portuguese customs, the last one, Pinheiro usually his paternal surname but sometimes "Bittencourt–Pinheiro" is also possible. Moreover, the first surname Andrade may be his paternal surname, in although it is rare in Portuguese culture. However the first surname Andrade, is his paternal surname is common in Spanish name. When lack of information, he may refer as "Mr. Pinheiro" or "Rafael" in although other possibility existed.
- "Carriera di Rafael De Andrade Bittencourt Pinheiro". Tutto Calciatori. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- "L'entusiasmo dei nuovi, Rafael e Iovine". Hellas Verona FC (in Italian). 21 July 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- "Rafael De Andrade Bittencourt Pinheiro". Hellas Verona F.C. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- "Ufficiale: Fossati al Verona, Rafael al Cagliari / VIDEO" (in Italian). Hellas Verona F.C. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- "L'esperienza di Rafael per la porta delle Aquile" (in Italian). Spezia Calcio. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
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