Márcio Rafael Ferreira de Souza is a Brazilian right back of Bayern Munich, known as Rafinha. He was born in Londrina, the state of Paraná.
Rafinha started his football career when 7 years old, and played for different Brazilian youth teams. In 2002 the defender joined Coritiba Football Club, making his first serious appearance in the Brazilian Championship in 2004. The same season Rafinha was made Coritiba’s first choice full back.
In 2005 the Brazilian moved to Europe, signing a six-year contract with German FC Schalke 04 for a fee of €5 million. Rafinha took part in 29 matches during his debut season in the club, and played his first match for the new team against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 27 August 2005.
In the 2006/07 season the defender scored his first Bundesliga goal. During that season Rafinha played in 31 games for Schalke 04, netting 2 balls. Schalke 04 finished in the 2nd place in the Bundesliga to a large extent because of Rafinha’s outstanding performance.
In March 2008 the defender received a call-up from the Brazil under-23 head coach Dunga. On 14 March Rafinha made his international debut in a friendly match against the Sweden national football team. The game ended in a 1-0 win for Brazil.
On 4 August 2010 the back was transferred to Genoa in a deal worth €8 million, but things didn’t go well in the Serie A, and on 1 June 2011 Rafinha returned to Germany. He signed a contract with Bayern Munich until 30 June 2014. The transfer cost €5.5 million, although a year ago Genoa paid €8 million for Rafinha.
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