Quick Facts
Biography
Rafael Teixeira de Souza (born 13 July 1992) in Água Boa, commonly known as Rafael, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard. He plays as a striker.
Club career
In 2011, Rafael signed for Bahia's first team from its reserve squad. In 36 appearances for Bahia he scored 10 goals.
On 9 January 2013, it was announced that he would join D.C. United as a young designated player on a one-year loan with a pre-negotiated option to make the move permanent. He scored his first goal for the team in his debut game on 23 March, a 2-1 home defeat to the Columbus Crew. After making four more appearances with United, Rafael suffered a concussion during training.
Rafael and DC agreed to part ways in June 2013.
In July 2015, Rafael transferred to China League One side Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard.
International career
Rafael has represented Brazil at the under-20 level 3 times.