Introduction
Rafael de Souza Pereira (born January 16, 1989 in Rio de Janeiro), known as Rafael Carioca, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Atlético Mineiro.
Club career
Grêmio
Rafael came to Grêmio in 2006, as an amateur player. He was promoted to the first team after captaining the youth side in the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior by the coach Vágner Mancini, but soon was relegated to the youth squad because of his lack of commitment in pre-season training. Before the beginning of the 2008 Brazilian Serie A, Mancini was fired and Rafael earned a new chance from the coach Celso Roth, the same coach who promoted Ronaldinho to the first team in 1998. He became the team's first-choice in the central midfield and created a strong partnership with William Magrão. Appearing as a defensive midfielder, Rafael missed just one league match and received just five yellow cards during the season.
Spartak
In December 2008, joined Russian club Spartak Moscow on a five-year contract.
Vasco
For the 2010 season, Vasco da Gama loaned the Brazilian midfielder from Spartak Moscow for one year.
Atlético Mineiro
The midfielder joined Atlético Mineiro on August 13, 2014 on a year-long loan deal. Carioca had a good second semester in 2014, becoming a first-choice player in Atlético's team that went on to win that year's Copa do Brasil. Rafael had a solid start in the following season, which included an impressive goal against Colo-Colo in the Copa Libertadores and a Campeonato Mineiro win, again as a part of the team's starting eleven. Rafael's loan deal with Atlético Mineiro was coming to an end in August, but the Brazilian club came to an agreement with Spartak Moscow for the purchase of 50% of the player's rights for an undisclosed fee. The deal meant a new contract for Carioca with Atlético, which now ends on August 2019.
International career
In 2007, Carioca captained the Under-20 side and featured in the Sendai Cup for the Brazil Under-18 national team in the same year but was an unused substitute in the tournament. Rafael received his first international call-up for the Brazilian senior squad on 22 August 2016, for matches against Ecuador and Colombia.
Honours
- Copa do Brasil: 2014
- Campeonato Mineiro: 2015