Zé Rafael settles in at Santos but still sees room to grow after surgery | OneFootball

Zé Rafael is one of the key players in the midfield of Santos under coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda. The 32-year-old player faced a challenging start to the year after leaving Palmeiras, joining Peixe, and immediately undergoing spinal surgery.

What surgery did Zé Rafael have?

The midfielder underwent a surgical procedure on his spine on February 7 and needed three months to recover and be cleared by Peixe's Medical Department. He made his debut on May 12 and quickly gained a starting position on the team. Zé experienced moments of fluctuation and returned to prominence with the arrival of Vojvoda.

Zé Rafael had been suffering from back pain since his time at Palmeiras. The issue even caused him to miss some games in 2024. This year, although registered in the Paulista by Verdão, he didn't even debut in the State Championship.

Zé Rafael believes he can reach a better level

Santos' number 6 revealed that he is still not at his best level. The athlete assessed his progress over time and believes he can improve even more. This year, he played 18 games, 15 as a starter, and is expected to remain in Vojvoda's ideal team for the match against Corinthians.

“It's very difficult to say, but I believe I went through a period of readjustment and still feel like I'm going through it after the surgery. Obviously, I wanted to return quickly to how I played before, but we know our body needs time to readjust. Last year I was a bit without training, without games, and that reflects on an athlete's life and makes a difference,” stated Zé Rafael.

“In a short period, I ended up responding, but then it became clear that I wasn't at the same physical level as my teammates. And today I feel better, I'm at a level closer to what I can reach. It's easier to compete like this, there's internal competition and then with the opponents. Due to all this, after Vojvoda's arrival, our training had to change characteristics. I think the intensity, the response is greater due to necessity. Everyone has to give a little more,” continued the midfielder.

The player has a contract with Santos until December 31, 2027.

Next Santos match

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