Now at Santos, Zé Rafael honoured by Palmeiras ahead of derby | OneFootball

Shortly before the ball rolled for the derby against Santos, Palmeiras held a brief tribute to midfielder Zé Rafael, who left the club in February of this year. Currently, the former Verdão player defends the colors of Peixe.

Zé Rafael was honored by Palmeiras on the Allianz Parque pitch, before the warm-up of both teams began. The former Verdão midfielder was presented with a plaque and a framed picture, both personalized, from the hands of Verdão’s president, Leila Pereira.

The former Palmeiras midfielder also received a lot of applause and was warmly celebrated by the fans present at the stage of this Thursday’s derby.

(Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras)

The midfielder left Palmeiras at the beginning of the year and was announced as a reinforcement for Santos in February after losing his place at Verdão. In his last season with the Palmeiras club, Zé Rafael went through ups and downs due to a chronic back problem, which was corrected after surgery.

Zé Rafael built a respected legacy with the Verdão squad. Signed in 2019, the player spent five years at the club and totaled 311 matches, with 25 goals, 25 assists, and 11 titles won (including two Brasileirãos and two Libertadores).

Now at Santos, Zé Rafael only made his debut in May after recovering from back surgery. Since then, the number 6 has established himself as an important piece in the starting eleven. He has become a sort of ‘engine’ in the midfield and has played 21 matches for Peixe (18 as a starter), with one goal scored.

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