Rafael Santos Bio
Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos, commonly known as Rafael Santos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back. Born on 5 February 1998 in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, he currently represents Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids, where he wears the number 20 shirt. Standing at 1.80 m tall, Santos has built his career across Brazilian football before transitioning to Major League Soccer, where he has earned a reputation as a reliable defender and capable contributor in the attacking third.
Santos came through the youth ranks in his home country, working his way up through several clubs before establishing himself as a senior professional. He earned moves to top-flight Brazilian sides through a series of loan spells, gradually sharpening his craft before securing a transfer to MLS in January 2023.
Early Life and Background
Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos was born on 5 February 1998 in Londrina, a city in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil. Like many Brazilian footballers, Santos grew up in a country where the sport is woven into everyday life, and he developed his early passion for the game in this football-rich environment.
He began his formal football education in the youth setup of Figueirense, the club based in Santa Catarina, where he played between 2012 and 2013. After that initial spell, he moved to Inter de Limeira for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, continuing his development at the under-age level. These formative years laid the technical and tactical foundation that would carry him into the senior ranks.
In 2016, Santos joined the academy of Mirassol, a club in the interior of São Paulo state known for nurturing young talent. His time at Mirassol represented the final stage of his youth development and prepared him for the transition to professional football.
Path to Professional Soccer
Santos’s path to professional soccer accelerated at Mirassol, where he impressed enough at academy level to be promoted to the senior squad. In 2017, he also had a brief youth loan spell at Atlético Madrid, an experience that exposed him to a different footballing culture and raised his profile.
His breakthrough came in the Campeonato Paulista in 2017, where he made his senior debut on 2 July 2017 against Ferroviária, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 defeat. He did not have to wait long to register his first senior goal, finding the net on 27 August 2017 in a 4–2 win over Penapolense. These early performances signaled that Santos was ready for a higher level.
In 2018, he took the next step in his career by joining Cruzeiro, initially on loan. He featured prominently for Cruzeiro’s under-20 side, including in the 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores, and made his first-team debut on 14 August 2018 as a substitute in a 2–0 Série A defeat to Vasco da Gama. The move was made permanent in 2019, and Santos went on to gather significant senior experience across Brazilian football.
Rafael Santos Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Santos’s early career revolved around his development at Mirassol and his subsequent loan to Cruzeiro. At Mirassol, he made the step from the academy to the senior team in the Campeonato Paulista, scoring his first goal within two months of his debut. The performances he produced during this period convinced Cruzeiro to bring him in.
At Cruzeiro, Santos split his time between the under-20 squad and the first team. He accumulated 27 appearances for the under-20s, including a run in the 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores, before earning his senior bow for the club in Série A action. This dual pathway helped him grow into a more complete defender.
Cruzeiro Era (2019–2022)
After joining Cruzeiro permanently in 2019, Santos was sent out on a series of loans to accumulate first-team minutes. He spent time in Série B with Chapecoense and Ponte Preta, and later played in Série A on loan at Coritiba. Across these Brazilian spells, he built a reputation for consistency and composure on the left side.
While contracted to Cruzeiro between 2019 and 2022, Santos made a combined 106 senior appearances in all competitions. The volume of games he played during this stretch was crucial to his maturation as a professional and prepared him for a move abroad.
Orlando City Era (2023–2025)
On 5 January 2023, Santos signed with Major League Soccer club Orlando City on a two-year contract with two additional club option years. He quickly established himself as a regular at left-back and contributed to the team’s attacking play from deep positions.
He scored his first Orlando City goal on 20 May 2023, helping the Lions to a 3–1 victory over Inter Miami with an assist from Duncan McGuire. On 9 March 2024, Santos played a central role in one of the club’s most memorable moments, winning the ball and assisting McGuire for the fastest goal in Orlando City history, scored in under thirteen seconds in a 3–2 loss to Minnesota United.
During his Orlando tenure, Santos also experienced the disciplinary side of MLS, receiving a second yellow card against CF Montréal on 19 April 2024 and later being fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for failing to leave the field promptly.
Colorado Rapids Era (2025)
On 15 August 2025, Santos was transferred to fellow MLS side Colorado Rapids in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money, a sell-on percentage, and a potential additional $200,000 in General Allocation Money contingent on performance metrics. He made his Rapids debut on 23 August 2025 as an 80th-minute substitute in a 3–0 defeat to LA Galaxy.
He did not take long to make an impact for his new club, scoring his first Rapids goal on 27 September 2025 with a converted free kick in a 1–1 draw with Minnesota United. On 26 November, the Rapids announced that they had declined Santos’s contract option but were working to sign him to a new deal.
Driving Style and Strengths
As a left-back, Santos combines defensive solidity with a willingness to contribute in attack. He has shown the ability to deliver accurate crosses, support overlapping runs, and capitalize on set-piece opportunities, as demonstrated by his free-kick goal for the Rapids. His experience across Brazilian and American football has also made him tactically adaptable to different systems and league styles.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Santos’s standout moments is his role in setting up the fastest goal in Orlando City history in March 2024. He has also marked each of his last three clubs with a debut goal, a sign of his attacking intent from the left flank and his capacity to influence matches in the final third.
Rafael Santos Career Wins
Throughout his career, Rafael Santos has been recognized with honors at both Chapecoense and Cruzeiro during his time contracted to Cruzeiro, reflecting his contributions to those clubs across various loan spells and appearances.
Club Highlights
Santos’s club career has spanned Mirassol, Cruzeiro, Chapecoense, Ponte Preta, Coritiba, Orlando City, and Colorado Rapids, with each move marking a new chapter in his development. He made a combined 106 senior appearances in Brazil before crossing the Atlantic to join Orlando City in 2023, where he quickly became a fixture at left-back.
Honors
Santos has been listed among the honors at Chapecoense and Cruzeiro, clubs where he made meaningful contributions during his Brazilian career.
Rafael Santos Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos was raised in Londrina, Paraná, in southern Brazil. Public details about his family background, including parents and any football lineage, are not widely documented.
Personal Life
Santos maintains an active presence on Instagram under the handle r_santos36, where he shares updates from his professional career. He keeps most of his personal life away from the public eye, focusing publicly on his work as a professional footballer.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a transitional year for Rafael Santos. He began the year with Orlando City, where he continued as a regular contributor at left-back before the midseason move that defined his year.
On 15 August 2025, Santos was transferred to the Colorado Rapids, where he quickly integrated into the squad. He made his debut later that month and scored his first Rapids goal in late September with a free kick against Minnesota United, ending the regular season as a contributor on the left side.
Although the Rapids declined his contract option in late November 2025, the club expressed interest in bringing him back on a new deal, underscoring the value Santos provided during his short stint in Colorado.
