Rafael Santos (footballer, born 5 February 1998)

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Rafael Santos
Rafael Santos 02-24-2024.png
Santos with Orlando City in 2024
Personal information
Full name Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos
Date of birth (1998-02-05) 5 February 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
Colorado Rapids
Number 30
Youth career
2012–2013 Figueirense
2014–2015 Inter de Limeira
2016–2017 Mirassol
2017Atlético Madrid (youth loan)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2017 Mirassol 13 (1)
2018Cruzeiro (loan) 1 (0)
2019–2022 Cruzeiro 30 (1)
2020Chapecoense (loan) 5 (0)
2021Inter de Limeira (loan) 10 (1)
2021Ponte Preta (loan) 26 (3)
2022Coritiba (loan) 15 (0)
2023–2025 Orlando City 75 (2)
2025– Colorado Rapids 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 August 2025

Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos (born 5 February 1998) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a left back for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids.

Contents

Club career

Santos developed in the academy of Mirassol, making his senior debut for the club on 2 July 2017 in the 2017 Campeonato Paulista, playing the full 90 minutes against Ferroviária in a 2–1 defeat. He scored his first goal on 27 August 2017, the opening goal in a 4–2 win over Penapolense in the same competition.

In 2018, he joined Cruzeiro, initially on loan. He made 27 appearances for the club's under-20 team including in the 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores. On 14 August 2018, Santos made his first team debut for the club as a 76th-minute substitute for David in a 2–0 Série A defeat to Vasco da Gama. Having joined Cruzeiro permanently in 2019, Santos went on loan for spells with Chapecoense, Inter de Limeira and Ponte Preta in Série B and later with Coritiba in Série A. He made a combined 106 senior appearances while in Brazil in all competitions.

On 5 January 2023, Santos joined Major League Soccer club Orlando City ahead of the 2023 season on a two-year contract with an additional two club option years. [1] On 20 May, Santos scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win at Inter Miami with the help of an assist from Duncan McGuire. [2]

On 9 March 2024, Santos assisted in the fastest goal in club history when he won the ball from Minnesota United and passed it to McGuire, who scored in under thirteen seconds, beating Tesho Akindele's previous record of 31 seconds. However, Orlando would go on to lose the game 3–2. [3]

On 19 April 2025, Santos received a second yellow card in a match at CF Montréal after coming on as a half-time substitute for Kyle Smith after Smith had received a yellow card early in the match. [4] Santos would later be fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for failing to leave the field in a timely manner after receiving the second yellow card. [5]

On 15 August 2025, Santos was transferred to fellow MLS club Colorado Rapids in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and a sell-on percentage plus an additional $200,000 in GAM if performance metrics were met. [6] On 23 August, Santos made his debut for his new team when he came on as an 80th-minute substitute for Sam Vines in a 3–0 defeat to LA Galaxy. [7] [8]

Career statistics

As of match played 23 August 2025 [9] [10]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueState league [a] National cup [b] Continental [c] OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Mirassol 2017 131131
Cruzeiro (loan) 2018 Série A 100010
Cruzeiro 2019 200020
2020 00301040
2021 Série B 00000000
2022 13012150301
Total160151600000371
Chapecoense (loan) 2020 Série B 500050
Inter de Limeira (loan) 2021 101101
Ponte Preta (loan) 2021 Série B 263263
Coritiba (loan) 2022 Série A 150150
Orlando City 2023 Major League Soccer 26110103 [d] 0341
2024 321305 [d] 0421
2025 17020190
Total75200304080962
Colorado Rapids 2025 Major League Soccer1010
Career total13853839040802038

Honors

Chapecoense

Cruzeiro

References

  1. "Orlando City SC acquires Brazilian defender Rafael Santos". Orlando City . 5 January 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. "Match report: Orlando City earns 3–1 victory over Inter Miami CF". Orlando City . 21 May 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. David, Austin (9 March 2024). "Rapid Reactions: Orlando falls late to Minnesota United". Orlando City . Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. "Pedro Gallese has 6 saves for Orlando City in 0–0 tie with Montreal". Associated Press . 19 April 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  5. "Austin FC vs. LA Galaxy: Fines issued after Mass Confrontation". Major League Soccer . 22 April 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  6. "Colorado Rapids acquire Brazilian defender Rafael Santos". Colorado Rapids . 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  7. "Recap | Paxten Aaronson, Rafael Santos, and Daouda Amadou make Rapids debut in loss against LA Galaxy". Colorado Rapids . 24 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  8. "LAvsCOL 08-23-2025". Major League Soccer . Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  9. "Rafael Santos – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  10. "Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos : oGol". www.ogol.com.br (in Portuguese).