Rafael Santos

Rafael Alves dos Santos is a professional football player from Brazil who plays as a central defender. A graduate of the Associacao Atletica Ponte Preta, in 2001-02, Santos broke into the tiny club's first team in 2003. Immediately, Santos made an impact and became a permanent fixture on the first eleven at Ponte Preta. Hs played every game over the next three seasons, scoring 6 goals in 70-odd games, before moving to Internacional in 2006.

Moving to a big club, it took a long time for Santos to make an impact on the team and by the end of the season, moved out of the club without playing a single match. He moved to Atletico Paranaense in search of regular action, and found none coming his way. Just a year after moving to Internacional, in 2008, he went to Esporte Clube Vitoria on a loan move. Again, match experience didn't really come his way and Santos decided to go out for another loan spell in 2009-10.

This spell, however, was with Italian club team Bolgona FC. Playing just two games for the team, Santos was again left warming the bench but he returned to Atletico Paranaense at the end of the season, hoping for some more first team appearances in the future.