Who Is Rafinha Alcantara?
Rafinha Alcantara has represented three of the biggest clubs in the world.
A gold medallist and teammate of some of the greatest players of his generation, Rafinha has spent a lot of time in the spotlight since making his senior debut in 2011.
Born in São Paulo in 1993, Rafinha has represent Brazil at the Olympics and earned a couple of caps.
He’s never played in his home nation, however, having joined Barcelona’s academy at just 13 years of age. Rafinha represented both Spain and Brazil at youth level as he flourished at La Masia.
The midfielder was extensively tipped as a star of Barca’s next generation, a talent that can ease the transition from the Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Xavi era into the next spell of dominance in Catalunya.
It hasn’t worked out quite like that, though Rafinha has a healthy medal collection and has played in three of Europe’s big five leagues.
Rafinha Career
Rafinha made his Barcelona B debut in the second tier against Girona in 2011. Only 11 months later he was debuting for the senior team, replacing Cesc Fabregas in a Copa del Rey tie with Hospitalet.
With Barcelona near the peak of their powers and with an abundance of midfield options, Rafinha was primarily a ‘B’ team player until he was loaned to Celta Vigo for the 2013-14 season. His top flight debut followed soon after the deal was completed.
A new contract running until 2016 was signed with Barca before joining Os Celestes in 2013, and Rafinha looked set to become a regular with the Catalan superclub when he landed Breakthrough Player of the Year for his performances with the Galician team.
With Luis Enrique taking over at Camp Nou, Rafinha was handed his first Barcelona league start in August 2014 against Elche. His first Champions League goal followed in December of that year.
Barcelona ended the campaign as treble winners, and while Rafinha hadn’t been a regular starter, there were signs that he was ready to step up for the Blaugrana.
An ACL tear ruined his 2015-16 season after starting in the Super Cup. Making just 28 appearances in 2016-17, a meniscus injury ended his season prematurely and kept him out of action into the start of 2017-18.
Inter signed Rafinha Alcantara on loan in January 2018 with a €35 million option to buy. He made 17 appearances for the club in the second half of the season and Inter did not exercise the option.
Returning to Barcelona, Rafinha ruptured his ACL in November 2018. This led to another lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Barca still extended his contract in the 2019 summer window, but he was sent back on loan to Celta in 2019-20, making 30 appearances and scoring four goals.
He penned a three-year deal with PSG in October 2020, though he has been no more than a backup for the star-studded Parisians. However, we could see him donning the freshest PSG kits in the near future…
- Barcelona B (2011-2013) – 84 appearances, 20 goals
- Barcelona (2011-2020) – 90 appearances, 12 goals
- Celta (2013-14) – 33 appearances, four goals
- Inter (2018) – 17 appearances, two goals
- Celta (2019-20) – 30 appearances, four goals
- PSG (2020-present) – five appearances, no goals
Family
The son of Iomar do Nascimento, known as Mazinho, Rafinha comes from a rich sporting heritage. This spread beyond football, too. Valéria, Rafinha’s mother, was a volleyball player.
Mazinho won the 1994 World Cup with Brazil, earning 35 caps with Seleção and playing over 100 times for Celta.
Rafinha’s brother is Liverpool central midfielder Thiago Alcantara. Thiago is a couple of years older (born in 1991), and opted to represent Spain at senior level rather than Brazil.
While Rafinha was born in São Paulo, Thiago was born in Italy during Mazinho’s time with Lecce. Like Rafinha, Thiago came through La Masia, but he opted to leave the club in 2013 to join Bayern Munich.
It’s rare for two brothers to end up representing different national teams. Both have spoken about their decisions, with Thiago shedding some light on his conclusion to play for La Roja.
He said, “My feeling is that my body and all my things inside me – when I move, when I do everything – are Brazilian. My family is Brazilian, and my mother language is Brazilian Portuguese.
“But all the thinking in my life, all the treatment with people, I think I’m more from Spain. That’s how I grew up. I started reading in Spanish.
“So for me everything is a mix every day, but when I have to think it’s in Spanish. It’s a little bit difficult to explain, but at the same time it’s very easy to feel.”
Style of play
Rafinha drew plaudits as a young player for his combination of technical ability and defensive work rate. Unafraid to press high up the pitch, he was an asset for his managers out of possession just as he was on the ball.
In his breakout season with Celta in 2013-14, Rafinha ranked above Neymar and just behind Karim Benzema in key passes per game.
Only Neymar, Lionel Messi, Lass Bangoura, Yacine Brahimi and Iker Muniain registered more dribbles per contest. He also put in an impressive mark of 4.6 tackles and interceptions per match in 2013-14.
Being given a key role at Celta in his first spell worked well for Rafinha. Since then, though, injuries have taken their toll on his acceleration, limiting his ability to go by opponents.
He’s been used in a different role alongside star names at PSG and Barcelona. The short stint at Inter was a highpoint in statistical production with impressive dribbling and passing numbers.
The Rafinha we see in 2021 still has that occasional burst to go on a mazy run. He’s got an eye for a pass, and he’ll press hard when required, but his career has reached a crossroads at PSG.
It would be great to see him get a chance to take on a more important role elsewhere – perhaps he joins his brother in the Premier League.
Rafinha Honours
- La Liga – 2014-15, 2015-16, 2018-19
- Copa del Rey – 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18
- Champions League – 2014-15
- Club World Cup – 2015
- Coupe de France – 2020-21
- Olympic gold medal – 2016
- La Liga Breakthrough Player – 2013-14
- La Liga Player of the Month – February 2014
