Rafael Pereira da Silva (born 9 July 1990), commonly known as
Rafael or
Rafael da Silva, is a
Brazilian footballer who plays for
Manchester United. He normally plays as a
defender in a right back position, but can also play on the right side of midfield. He is the twin brother of
Fábio, who also plays for Manchester United
Early life
Rafael was born in
Petrópolis, known as "The City of Peter", approximately one hour's drive away from
Rio de Janeiro in
Rio de Janeiro state, and began playing football from the age of five. He and his identical twin,
Fábio, would play
five-a-side in the city. They were then spotted by a representative of
Fluminense, who gave them the opportunity to play for the club; they went to live at the club's training center at
Xerém when they were just 11 years old.
Manchester United
The twins decided to sign for Manchester United, and a deal was agreed between the two clubs in February 2007. The twins moved to Manchester in January 2008, but were unable to play in matches until they turned 18 in July 2008. Rafael made his first appearance for the club in a 2-0 friendly win over Peterborough United[3] Rafael was then registered in the club's senior squad for the 2008–09 season and was assigned the number 21 shirt.[4] Rafael made his competitive debut for Manchester United on the opening day of the 2008-09 Premier League season, replacing Fraizer Campbell in their 1-1 home draw Newcastle United on 17 August.[5] on 4 August.
semi-final against
On 27 October 2009, Fábio, Rafael's twin brother, was booked for a foul committed by Rafael in United's 2-0 League Cup victory over Barnsley.[14] Manchester United appealed and The FA agreed it was a case of mistaken identity, transferring the card over to Rafael.[15] On 30 December, Rafael scored the second goal of his Manchester United career and the first at Old Trafford in a 5–0 league win over Wigan Athletic.[16] On 7 April 2010, Rafael was sent off for the first time in his United career, receiving two yellow cards either side of half time against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie.[17] Despite United winning the game, they were eliminated from the competition due to the away goals rule when the aggregate score was 4–4.[18] Despite this red card, Sir Alex Ferguson praised Rafael for his performance and stated that "he absolutely dominated Franck Ribéry".
International career
In 2007, Rafael played for Brazil's national under-17 team in the
FIFA U-17 World Cup. He was approached by
Portuguese national coach
Carlos Queiroz and asked to play for Portugal's senior side, as both Rafael and Fábio hold Portuguese citizenship.
[24] Rafael indicated a willingness to take Queiroz up on his offer if he did not end up playing for
Brazil, while Fábio remained set on playing for Brazil.
[2] On 26 July 2010, Rafael was called up to the Brazilian senior team for the first time, as he was included in new coach
Mano Menezes' first squad for their
friendly against the
United States on 10 August.
Honours
Club
- Manchester United
Personal life
Rafael's twin brother,
Fábio, is also a professional footballer; both twins signed for Manchester United at the same time in 2008. The twins' elder brother, Luiz Henrique Pereira da Silva, used to play for
América-MG in Brazil and
Brescia in Italy, but moved with his wife to England when the twins signed for Manchester United. After a six-week wait for international clearance, Luiz Henrique signed for
Radcliffe Borough, but he and his wife returned to Brazil in early 2009 in preparation for the birth of their child.
[2][28] The Da Silvas' parents also live with them in Manchester
Rafael Da Silva Wallpaper:
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