At the age of 39, former Bayern Munich defender and legend Rafinha announced his retirement from professional football.
According to Kicker magazine, the Brazilian announced his retirement in a heartfelt Instagram post.
Today is the final whistle on the pitch for me. It’s time to officially say goodbye to the football field, and I do so with a calm heart and full of gratitude.
Football has given me everything, it took me to Germany, made me champion of the Champions League, the Libertadores, the Brasileirão...
ADintroduced me to incredible people and allowed me to live what has always been my biggest dream.
I’m grateful to (Coritiba) , who opened their doors at the beginning. To (Schalke 04) , who believed in a boy from Brazil. To (Bayern), which was my home for so many years and where I won everything in soccer. To (Flamengo) , where I lived my peak in my country. To (São Paulo FC), my team of heart, where I had the opportunity to win an unprecedented title for the club. To (Olympiacos FC) and (Gremio)!
To every teammate, coach, employee, fan... thank you very much. I take with me memories, learnings, friendships and a story that I’ll always be proud to tell. Today I end a cycle as a player. But the love of soccer is eternal. A new chapter begins in my life: off the pitch.
The Brazilian star started off in the Gremio youth academy, moving across PSTC and Londrina academies further. Two years into his training in Londrina, he was picked up by the Coritba senior team. Following his phenomenal performance in the 2005 U20 World Cup for Brazil, where he registered two goals in seven games, Schalke signed him from Coritba.
Schalke was where Rafinha began his steady rise — his commitment, technicality and prowess made him a player to watch. After four years in Schalke with 198 games and 11 goals, CFC Genoa picked him up for a nominal free from die Knappen. Bayern would subsequently sign him in 2011, interestingly on the same day they announced the transfer of Manuel Neuer from Schalke.
Bayern was perhaps Rafinha’s peak — seven Bundesliga titles, four DFB Pokal titles, four DFL Supercups, a Champions League title (2012/13), a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup. Though he had been earlier sidelined by Phillip Lahm, Lahm’s move to defensive midfield cleared the Portuguese star’s spot. He started regularly in right-back, and also could play left-back.
In 2019, after 266 games with Bayern, he left the club for Flamengo, where he won the Brazilian Série A twice and the Supercopa, the Copa Libertadores, the Recopa Sudamericana and the Campeonata Carioca each once. After short stints in Greece with Olympiacos where he won the Greek Cup and Super League, and a year in Grêmio, he had another major career break in São Paulo. He captained the team to win the Copa do Brasil in 2023, and the Supercopa in 2024.
Following this, he found himself back in Coritba, his first senior team. His time in Coritba came to a screeching halt, as he found himself in a scandal. Certainly, scandals are not new to Rafinha — early into his career he was already neck deep in an extremely expensive scandal. In 2008, the defender skipped training camp at Schalke to play for the Brazilian National Team at the Olympics. Though he emerged with a Bronze medal, he also bagged a six-figure fine from the 04. However, this was not career ending.
His love for Bayern had him lying to Coritba.
After claiming he had to travel to Munich for a hearing, he instead participated in the Beckenbauer Cup on March 17. Per club rules, he had to seek clearance before participating in external matches. Failing to do so, the club immediately terminated their contract.
Since then, the defender had not moved to any other club, and instead decided to hang up his boots.
For all that he has done in red, we thank Márcio Rafael Ferreira de Souza. We wish him the best in his future endeavours.
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