Ex-Flamengo's Rafael Santos celebrates 100-game milestone

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·15 September 2026

Ex-Flamengo's Rafael Santos celebrates 100-game milestone

Center-back Rafael Santos reached the milestone last week

Developed in the youth ranks of Flamengo, the club where he made his professional debut in 2019, center-back Rafael Santos reached the mark of 100 career appearances on Friday (11). Now playing for Bac Ninh in Vietnam, the defender hit the century mark in a 1-0 win over Công An HCMC in the local league.

After being promoted to Flamengo’s first team, where he played in 2019 and 2020, Rafael Santos began his international journey. In recent years, the 28-year-old center-back has played for Apoel (CYP), Moreirense (POR), Santa Clara (POR), and Leixões (POR) before moving to Vietnamese football in this transfer window. For him, reaching 100 career matches means a lot.

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RAFAEL SPEAKS

“It’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream, especially after everything I’ve been through, including some serious injuries that I managed to overcome and keep going. Reaching 100 games today is a very important milestone in my career, and I hope to keep playing for a long time, because it’s what I love doing most and the profession I chose for my life. This milestone goes far beyond being just a number, especially reaching these 100 games with my whole family in the stadium watching me, earning the club’s first-ever win in the league here in Vietnam, and with the support of our fans, who pushed us from the beginning to the end of the match,” he said.With a contract signed through June 2027 with Bac Ninh, Rafael Santos is looking to help the team throughout its first season in the top flight of local football. Founded in 2023, the club earned promotion to V.League 1 last year after finishing second in V.League 2, and is now aiming to keep establishing its name in the Vietnamese scene.

IN SHORT, THE AUTHOR’S OPINION

— Rafael is one of those players who had very few opportunities to show his football with Flamengo’s senior team. The center-back made five appearances for the first team, even though he had stood out a lot in Mengão’s youth sides —, opined Pedro Paulo Catonho.

— The center-back also went viral on social media because of his physical resemblance to Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch Liverpool idol. At one point, Rafael Santos even had the same haircut as the European defender. May the former Flamengo player take inspiration from the star to shine in Vietnam —, finally added the Coluna do Fla journalist.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.