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Sun 25 April 2021 | 10:30

Top Facts About Rafinha, The Overlooked PSG Midfielder

Rafael Alcantara professionally known as Rafinha is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for the German club Paris Saint-Germain. Find out the top facts about Rafinha in this article.

Rafinha is a hard working footballer with a unique style of play. He is a warrior in every game he plays and the footballer doesn’t stop creating chances until the last minute that the referee blows his whistle. You don’t see that every day. Rafinha worked hard and made his way to the top. Find out details about

Rafinha transfer market stats

in this article.

In addition to his career in football, we will go through Rafinha personal life. We will start with Rafinha childhood and then tell you about his road to fame. You might be interested in knowing about the footballer’s love life. Stay tuned for more details about Rafinha girlfriend. He is currently not married but he has a child. Find out the story about

Rafinha children

and the mother in this article.

Top Facts About Rafinha You Might Not Know

Rafinha holds both Brazilian and Spanish nationality. At the international level, he chose to play for Brazil's national team while his brother wanted to play for the Spanish side. We will tell you all about his brother who is a famous footballer as well in the following. Rafinha’s choice to play for Brazil as he said himself was “easiest of his life.” Learn more top facts about Rafinha in the following.

Rafinha Childhood and Siblings  

Let’s starts with

Rafinha childhood

. Rafael Alcantara do Nascimento known as Rafinha was born on 12 February 1993, in Sao Palo, Brazil to his mother Valeria and Mazinho. In addition to being big fans of football, Rafinha parents are both athletes with a background in sports. Mazinho is a former footballer and currently, he is a Brazilian manager, as well as the former head coach of the Greek club Aris. The famous retired footballer played 35 internationals for Brazil's national team, winning the 1989 Copa America, 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the silver medal at the 1988 Olympics.

His mother Valeria used to be a volleyball player. Rafinha age was two when his father was playing for the Spanish club Valencia. Rafinha grew up with his brother Thiago, and he is 2 years older than him. Thiago Alcantara do Nascimento was born on 11 April 1991 in San Pietro Vernotico, Italy. At the time his father Mazinho was playing for Lecce. Thiago is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club, Liverpool. He also has a sister named Thaisa who is a basketball player. Find out more

top facts about Rafinha

in the following.

The Alcantara Brothers Make Their Way to The Top

The brothers grew up with football culture. They also had a cousin named Rodrigo who is a professional footballer and plays as a striker or winger for Premier League club Leeds United and the

Spain national team

. The Alcantara brothers worked hard to mark the acme of their success. As we mentioned before the brothers, choose different paths. Rafinha went and played for the Brazilian side at the international level while his brother Thiago played for Spain’s national team.

Rafinha age

was 13 when he joined La Masia. Rafinha showed talent and great methods on the ball. Back in 2015, he stated in an interview: “My father told me Barcelona wanted to trial me. I was surprised, and I was fearful they would say no. A year earlier I was playing in goal. He told me we were going to visit my brother because he knew I was afraid of the trial.” He would never have made it to the trail if it wasn’t for his father. More top facts about Rafinha are in the way.

Rafinha International Career

The footballer started playing for Spain national team at the youth level. He managed to earn 14 caps for three different teams. On 29 February 2012, Rafinha scored for the under-19s in the first minute of their 2–1 friendly win against France in Meaux. Later in the same year and as we mentioned before Rafinha changed his course to Brazil. He went on and played for the under 20 side at the 2013 South American Youth Championship in Argentina. His brother Thiago went on to represent Spain at the international level.

Rafinha parents

were proud of their kids.

Rafinha was one of the seven stand by footballers selected by Dunga for the senior team at the 2015 Copa America. In September 2015, the gifted Brazilian was called up by Dunga for friendlies over Costa Rica and the United States. On 5 September, he came to New Jersey's Red Bull Arena in the 81st minute to replace Luiz Gustavo. After four days in a game over the latter, he managed to score his first goal and assisted his fellow teammate

Neymar

in a 4-1 victory. More top facts about Rafinha are in the way.

Rafinha Joined Barcelona

Rafinha established himself originally as a goalkeeper and proved himself worthy. He guarded the net for a year and he managed to impress Barcelona’s Infantile B squad. Based on Rafinha transfer market stats he joined

Barcelona

and on 8 January 2011, made his debut for the team in a 2-1 defeat against Girona FC for La Liga second division while substituting Jonathan dos Santos.

After a week he replaced another player and managed to score his first goal in a 3-2 victory at Salamanca. He also made an assist in the same game. The Brazilian footballer worked hard to improve himself and he had a strong year with Barcelona second division. His efforts finally paid off and he was under the spotlight by football experts. Find out more

top facts about Rafinha

in the following.

Rafinha Made His Way to Barcelona’s First Team

Rafinha age was 23 and ready for more challenges to secure his place at Barcelona’s first team. At the time

Andres Iniesta

, who is highly regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation was suffering from persistent injuries. This was a good opportunity for the young footballer to fill in the void and further show his talents to the manager Luis Enrique. Andre Gomes who signed from Valencia in the summer competed over the available position and that pushed Rafinha to a higher level.

The Brazilian footballer worked hard to improve himself and he had a strong year with Barcelona second division. His efforts finally paid off and he was called up to the first team and made his debut in November 2011, in a Copa del Rey 1-0 win over CE L’Hospitalet by replacing his fellow teammate Cesc Fabregas. According to

Rafinha stats

, he finished the league season with 39 matches and eight goals including two goals in a 4-0 loss of Cartagena on 4 September of the same year. Learn more top facts about Rafinha in the following.

Rafinha Was Named Celta Player of the Season

On 27 June 2013, the Brazilian footballer extended his contract with Barcelona. At the Spanish club

Rafinha salary

was quite. The contract made him remain at the club until 2016. In 2013, the footballer was loaned to fellow La Liga club, Celta Vigo to get more experience for the first team. The gifted young footballer made a great performance. On August 19, he assisted the team to a 2-2 draw with Espanyol. His first league goal came in another 1-1draw with Granada. Rafinha grabbed a brace on 23 November 2013. However, the game finished with a 4-3 defeat to Real Sociedad. Rafinha was named the league’s Breakthrough Player of the Season.

He was named ahead of

Real Madrid

’s Jese and Rayo Vallecano's Saul Niguez. At the time the manager was Luis Enrique who is now the manager of Barcelona. He also is the current head coach of Spain’s national team. The Spanish manager quickly became a fan of Rafinha and believed in his capabilities on the pitch. According to Rafinha stats he made 33 appearances in his only season at Celta. At the end of the season with the top flight club Celta finished ninth in La Liga which was the highest level they could reach in eight seasons. Graduating from La Masia over the years the footballer transformed into a top class player.

Rafinha Takes Neymar’s Place

On 24 August 2014, the footballer made his league debut in Luis Enrique’s first game in charge. Rafinha played the first half of the game which ended with a 3-0 victory over Elche at the Camp Nou before being replaced by Marc Bartra. On 25 November, he made an assist to

Lionel Messi

’s goal in a 4-0 group stage triumph at APOEL which turned him into the top scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Rafinha scored his first goal for the Blaugrana on 3 December 2014, finishing a 4-0 away victory over Huesca in the first leg of the Spanish Cup’s last 32.

On 1 February he scored his first goal for the team in the domestic league in a 3-2 home loss of Villarreal. Barcelona won the treble that season while Rafinha was an unused substitute in the domestic and European finals. Later his fellow teammate Neymar got sick and he couldn’t play. Rafinha took his place on the left of the team’s attack line in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup over Sevilla. He managed to score the third goal in a 5-4 victory. Find out more

top facts about Rafinha

in the following.

Rafinha Joined Inter Milan

On 16 September Rafinha suffered from a serious injury during a 1-1 away draw with

Roma

for the Champions’ League group phase. His condition required surgery and the doctors recommended about six months’ rest for recovery. According to Rafinha stats, he scored six goals in 18 games in the 2016-17 campaign. The footballer had to go under surgery following an injury in a game over Granada in April 2017. On 22 January 2018, Inter Milan declared that Rafinha will be loaned to their club with an option to buy for more than €30 million.

Rafinha debuted for the club in the last moment of a 1-1 draw with S.P.A.L. He managed to score his first goal in a 4-0 win against

Udinese

. On 24 November 2018, the Brazilian footballer ruptured a ligament in his knee in a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid and his injury was very crucial. He couldn’t play on the pitch for several months. In 2019, Rafinha extended his contract until 2021 and he rejoined Celta on a season-long loan. Find out more top facts about Rafinha in the following.

Rafinha Tested positive for Coronavirus at PSG

Over the years the gifted footballer worked on his skills and played for big clubs.

Rafinha net worth

grew with his career as well and soon we will tell you about its staggering amount. Based on Rafinha transfer market stats on 5 October 2020, he signed a three-year contract with the top European club Paris Saint-German. The footballer made his league 1 debut in a 4-0 victory at Nîmes and he assisted Kylian Mbappe opening goal. Rafinha made a great start at the German club under the supervision of Thomas Tuchel.

Rafinha finally managed to play under the supervision of a top-level manager who noticed his overlooked skills. Later on the first day of the new manager Mauricio Pochettino, Rafinha tested positive for Coronavirus and was ruled out. The Brazilin footballer didn’t get enough chances to show his talent. In an interview with the manager he stated: “All the decisions are football-related. In Rafa’s case, he was impacted by COVID-19 when we arrived. We have a strong squad and we make decisions.” Find out facts about

Rafinha personal life

in the following.

Rafinha Personal Life and Hobbies

Now let’s get into the details of

Rafinha girlfriend

and his love life. As far as we know the handsome footballer is single and currently, he is not in a relationship. Apparently, there is no information about his previous relationships, and Rafinha keeps his past private. The footballer is a big fan of music, and he plays the guitar as well. Back in 2018, he posted a photo while holding a guitar and captioned: “There is no better way to get inspired and relaxed. Many thanks to family of @martinguitar. Awesome work!”

Rafinha also posted a photo along with the famous American guitarist slash, backstage. Slash is a well-known English-American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for being part of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Rafinha captioned: “Spending my life meeting some of my biggest idols.” As for Rafinha children, looks like he has a son named Bruno Alcantara. There are also no records of Bruno’s mother. Rafinha has a great relationship with his son. You can see how well father and son are bonded together in the photos. Find out facts about Rafinha salary and earnings in the following.

Rafinha Net Worth and Salary

Over the years Rafinha flourished and proved himself worthy. He played for big clubs and showed his talents and capabilities. At the time he was serving at the Spanish club Barcelona, he made more than 4 million Euros per year. With

Celta

it is estimated that he was paid the same amount. His net worth and earnings grew over the years. In addition to his career in football Rafinha also made endorsements for sports brands like Adidas. Currently, Rafinha salary is more than 3 million Euros per year.

At Inter Milan the gifted footballer was paid more than 1 million Euros. The Brazilian footballer has a great taste in cars and it is reported that he owns several fleets of cars like Audi, BM V, Ferrari and several other cars in his collection. Rafinha worked hard to be where he is today and he managed to become a key role player. Rafinha net worth in 2021 is the staggering amount of 20 Million Euros. His Market Value is around 15 Million Euros. Find out facts about

Rafinha social media accounts

in the following.

Rafinha Social Media Accounts

The footballer is very popular and widely followed on social media. On Instagram more than 3 million fans follow him and keep up with his daily routine. On October 2020, Rafinha posted a photo of the Alcantara charity foundation and captioned: “We believe sport is the perfect tool to help the people that need it the most. Values such education and respect, health nutrition and social integration are keys and I couldn’t be prouder of our @alcantarafound.”

Rafinha is signed up by the username of

@rafalcantara

on Instagram. As for other Rafinha social media accounts, he is signed up by the username of

@RafinhaAlcantara

on facebook and less than 3 million fans follow his accounts. On Twitter he is available by the username of

@Rafinha

and more than 2 million people follow his account.

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source: SportMob



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