Rafinha wanted to return to Germany in the Bundesliga. But it now seems that the former Schalke star has changed his plans.
He himself no longer wears the jersey of the Brazilian national team, but nevertheless the former Schalke professional Rafinha is currently at the World Cup in Qatar. As an expert for TV Globo, he has attended several matches and reported for Brazilian television. And Brazil will probably remain the 37-year-old’s home in the future: According to Brazilian media, Rafinha is about to sign an extension with FC São Paulo. And yet he wanted to return to Germany…
São Paulo FC are currently rebuilding their squad, but after the contract extension of Gabriel Neves, the extension with Rafinha should be finalised as soon as possible. The defender is regarded by the coaching staff as an important part of the squad due to his experience and leadership. The contract extension is even an explicit wish of coach Rogério Ceni. It would be a crazy turnaround: In September, Rafinha had still spoken of wanting to end his career in the Bundesliga.
Rafinha was very much appreciated at Schalke
“I want to play two to three more years, I am fit. I played 15 years in the Bundesliga,” Rafinha stressed to Bild TV at the time. The Brazilian played for FC Schalke 04 between 2005 and 2010 and played for FC Bayern between 2011 and 2019. The seven-time German champion did not commit himself to a league at the time: “The Bundesliga is a great league, the second league is also very good. That wouldn’t be a problem either,” Rafinha had said about a possible new commitment in Germany. However, these thoughts now seem to be over.
Rafinha was a crowd favourite at Schalke. He left the Königsblauen in 2010 after five years, moving to CFC Genoa in Italy before returning to the Bundesliga after just one season and celebrating success after success with FC Bayern. In 2019, he returned to his native Brazil and signed for Flamengo Rio de Janeiro. After a year in Greece with top club Olympiakos Piraeus, he returned to Brazil again in 2021 to play for São Paulo. Now it looks like he is more likely to end his career there…
