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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Rafa Soares go to the store? To soare prices.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rafa Soares
Personal information
Full name Luís Rafael Soares Alves[1]
Date of birth (1995-05-09) 9 May 1995 (age 31)[1]
Place of birth Marco de Canaveses, Portugal
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Position Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Estrela Amadora
Number 55
Youth career
2003–2005 Alpendorada
2005–2014 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2018 Porto B 61 (8)
2016 → Académica (loan) 15 (1)
2016–2017 → Rio Ave (loan) 32 (3)
2017–2018 → Fulham (loan) 3 (0)
2018 Portimonense 11 (0)
2018–2022 Vitória Guimarães 67 (1)
2020–2021 → Eibar (loan) 25 (0)
2022–2024 PAOK 40 (2)
2024–2026 Famalicão 50 (1)
2026– Estrela Amadora 3 (0)
International career
2010–2011 Portugal U16 11 (0)
2011–2012 Portugal U17 12 (1)
2012 Portugal U18 3 (0)
2012–2014 Portugal U19 30 (2)
2014 Portugal U20 7 (0)
2014–2016 Portugal U21 9 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Runner-up2014 Hungary
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:30, 30 August 2026 (UTC)

Luís Rafael "Rafa" Soares Alves (born 9 May 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora.

Club career

[edit]

Porto

[edit]

Born in Marco de Canaveses, Porto District, Soares joined FC Porto's youth system in 2005 from local F.C. Alpendorada.[2] On 21 August 2013, while still a junior, he made his professional debut with the former's reserves, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute in a 1–0 away win against Portimonense S.C. in the Segunda Liga.[3]

From January 2016 to June 2017, Soares was on loan to Académica de Coimbra and Rio Ave FC, with both clubs in the Primeira Liga.[4][5] He played his first game in the competition on 22 January 2016 while at service of the former in a 2–1 away loss to Vitória de Setúbal,[6] and scored his first goal the following matchday but in a 3–2 defeat at Sporting CP.[7]

On 22 August 2017, deemed surplus to requirements by new Porto manager Sérgio Conceição, Soares was loaned to EFL Championship side Fulham in a season-long deal.[8] He made his debut on 31 October, coming from the bench in a 0–2 home loss to Bristol City.[9]

Soares' deal was mutually terminated by on 31 January 2018, after they had loaned Matt Targett earlier that month.[10] The same day, he signed a permanent contract with Portimonense in his country's top flight.[11]

Vitória Guimarães

[edit]

On 6 July 2018, Soares agreed to a contract at Vitória de Guimarães.[12] On 31 January 2020, he joined SD Eibar of Spain's La Liga on an 18-month loan with the option to buy.[13]

After returning from the relegated Basque team, Soares scored his first Vitória goal on 21 November 2021, as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat at neighbours Moreirense F.C. in the fourth round of the Taça de Portugal.[14]

PAOK

[edit]

In June 2022, Soares signed a three-year deal with Super League Greece club PAOK FC.[15] He totalled 33 games in his first season, finishing runner-up in the domestic cup.[16]

Soares scored his first league goal on 25 November 2023, closing the 5–0 home win over Panserraikos FC.[17] He added another in a 3–0 victory against PAS Lamia 1964,[18] claiming the national championship alongside his compatriots André Ricardo and Vieirinha.[19]

Later career

[edit]

On 2 September 2024, Soares agreed to a two-year contract at F.C. Famalicão.[20] He made 28 appearances in his debut campaign, but lost his place to Angolan international Pedro Bondo midway through 2025–26[21] only to regain it again.[22]

Soares signed a two-year deal with fellow top-division side C.F. Estrela da Amadora on 22 July 2026.[23]

International career

[edit]

Soares earned 72 caps for Portugal at youth level.[24] He made his debut for the under-21 side on 13 November 2014, in a 3–1 friendly defeat against England.[25]

Career statistics

[edit]
As of match played 24 April 2024[26][27][28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Porto B 2013–14 Segunda Liga 111———111
2014–15 302———302
2015–16 205———205
Total 618———618
Académica (loan) 2015–16 Primeira Liga 151———151
Rio Ave (loan) 2016–17 Primeira Liga 323—302[c]0373
Fulham (loan) 2017–18 Championship 30———30
Portimonense 2017–18 Primeira Liga 110———110
Vitória Guimarães 2018–19 Primeira Liga 2702010—300
2019–20 10010105[c]0170
2021–22 3012120—342
Total 671514050812
Eibar (loan) 2019–20 La Liga 60———60
2020–21 19030——220
Total 25030——280
PAOK 2022–23 Super League Greece 26050—2[d]0330
2023–24 12240—5[d]0212
Total 38290—70542
Career Total 252153717014031016

Honours

[edit]

Porto B

PAOK

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Rafa Soares" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Rafa Soares: "Tudo começou no FC Alpendorada"" [Rafa Soares: "It all started at FC Alpendorada"]. A Verdade (in Portuguese). 2 April 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Portimonense-FC Porto B, 0–1: O "miúdo" deu 3 pontos" [Portimonense-FC Porto B, 0–1: The "kid" gave 3 points]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 August 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Oficial: Académica anuncia Rafa por empréstimo do FC Porto" [Official: Académica announce Rafa on loan from FC Porto] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Dragões emprestam Rafa ao Rio Ave" [Dragons loan Rafa to Rio Ave] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "V. Setúbal-Académica, 2–1 (resultado final)" [V. Setúbal-Académica, 2–1 (final score)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Sporting 3–2 Académica: jogo pleno de emoções, muitos golos e incerteza até perto do fim" [Sporting 3–2 Académica: game full of excitement, many goals and uncertainty until the last minutes] (in Portuguese). Vavel. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "Rafa Soares: Fulham complete loan signing of Porto left-back". BBC Sport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "Fulham 0–2 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  10. ↑ "Soares loan terminated". Fulham F.C. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Rafa Soares assina pelo Portimonense a título definitivo" [Rafa Soares signs permanently with Portimonense]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 31 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Rafa Soares ruma ao Vitória de Guimarães" [Rafa Soares heading to Vitória de Guimarães]. Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  13. ↑ Mendia, Iker (31 January 2020). "El Eibar ficha al lateral izquierdo Rafa Soares procedente del Vitoria Guimaraes" [Eibar sign left-back Rafa Soares from Vitória Guimarães]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  14. ↑ "Moreirense elimina V. Guimarães da Taça" [Moreirense eliminate V. Guimarães from the Cup] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Έρχεται ο Σοάρες, από… κοντά και ο Ρέντε για ΠΑΟΚ" [Soares coming, Rende expected at PAOK] (in Greek). Sport FM. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Tsouvaras, Thomas (24 May 2023). "ΑΕΚ – ΠΑΟΚ 2–0: Ασύγκριτη! Η Ένωση κατέκτησε ένα ιστορικό νταμπλ, σάρωσε τους Θεσσαλονικείς με 10 παίκτες από το 6'" [AEK – PAOK 2–0: Unmatched! Union conquered historic double, Thessaloniki swept with 10 players at 6'] (in Greek). Sport 24. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Soudoulidis, Stavros (25 November 2023). "ΠΑΟΚ – Πανσερραϊκός 5–0: Καταιγίδα!" [PAOK – Panserraikos 5–0: Storm!] (in Greek). Gazzetta. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  18. ↑ "Grécia: Rafa Soares marca e PAOK engata a quinta" [Greece: Rafa Soares scores and PAOK go for fifth] (in Portuguese). CNN Portugal. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Fernando Gomes felicita Vieirinha, André Ricardo e Rafa Soares" [Fernando Gomes congratulates Vieirinha, André Ricardo and Rafa Soares] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "Famalicão: Rafa Soares assina por duas temporadas" [Famalicão: Rafa Soares signs for two seasons] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  21. ↑ Devesas, Lino (11 December 2025). "Pedro Bondo afirma-se na defesa do Famalicão e vai embora" [Pedro Bondo establishes himself in Famalicão's defence and leaves]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  22. ↑ Morais, Pedro (20 May 2026). "Rafa Soares tem futuro em aberto no Famalicão" [Rafa Soares with open future at Famalicão]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Fernandes, Bruno; Duarte, Mário (22 July 2026). "Rafa Soares assina livre pelo Estrela até 2028" [Rafa Soares signs for free for Estrela until 2028]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Gomes de Andrade, Maria (10 May 2018). "«Desde que nasci nunca esperei tanto tempo por um título do FC Porto»" ["I've never waited so long for a FC Porto title since I was born"] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Percy, John (13 November 2014). "England Under-21 3 Portugal Under 21 1: Danny Ings seizes chance to impress Gareth Southgate ahead of Euro 2015". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Rafa Soares at Soccerway
  27. ↑ Rafa Soares at WorldFootball.net
  28. ↑ Rafa Soares at Kicker (in German)
  29. ↑ Monteiro, André (12 May 2016). "Equipa B entrega troféu da 2.ª Liga a Pinto da Costa" [B team give 2nd League trophy to Pinto da Costa]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  30. ↑ Seretis, Yannis (19 May 2024). "ΠΑΟΚ 4Χ4 και... 1,2, 4 ως αουτσάιντερ: από 75–68 το έκανε 78–80!" [PAOK 4X4 and... 1,2, 4 as outsiders: they went from 75–68 to 78–80!] (in Greek). Gazzetta. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
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