Domestic-league season · Santos.
Missed 9 of Santos's ~38 games this season through 9 injury absences (back, yellow cards). He still appeared 27 times — a solid return given how little of the season he was available. His rating is judged mainly on the games he was fit to play.
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Serie A | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1895 | 6.99 |
 Copa Do Brasil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 6.9 |
Following his move to Santos, Rafael's current-season form is up 113% on last season (Season 15→32), while his Rating eased 29→26. His peak season for form remains 2023/24 (Season 46).
| Season | Club | Apps | G | A | Match | RTG | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Santos · 12th | 27 | 1 | 0 | 6.99 | 26 | 32 |
| 2024/25 | Palmeiras · 2nd | 27 | 0 | 2 | 6.77 | 29 | 15 |
| 2023/24 | Palmeiras · 1st | 31 | 3 | 3 | 6.88 | 43 | 46 |
| 2022/23 | Palmeiras · 1st | 33 | 3 | 2 | 6.84 | 48 | 41 |
| 2021/22 | Palmeiras · 3rd | 26 | 1 | 0 | 6.84 | 49 | 24 |
| 2020/21 | Palmeiras · 7th | 26 | 2 | 3 | 6.75 | 56 | 31 |
Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year.
Zé Rafael is a 33-year-old central midfielder at Santos, rated 25.6 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 317th of 413 in the Serie A. A seasoned veteran, he has been a regular starter this season (72.6% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 3.94 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Rafael.
Judged on this season alone, Rafael graded 32 — a strong campaign that ranks top 21% of the 64 central midfielders in the Serie A, on 1 goal, 0 assists and 3.942 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's a clear step up on last season (Season 15 → 32). Over the 6 seasons on record his form has held fairly steady, peaking in 2023/24.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 26, 49th of 64 of the 64 central midfielders in the Serie A. At 33 Rafael is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 7.1 reflects that trajectory.
Read the appearance count in context: Rafael missed 9 games through injury (back, yellow cards) out of roughly 38 this season. The 27 he did play is a solid return on the time he was fit, and his ratings are weighted toward those games rather than the ones he sat out injured.
Past his 2023/24 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
3.94 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — solid defensive volume, with 6 clean sheets across 27 appearances. Going forward he chipped in 1 goal and 0 assists — a useful bonus from the back.
With a Rating of 25.6, Rafael carries the 49th-highest potential of the central midfielders in the Serie A of 64. Defensively he reads as solid defensive volume (3.94 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.7× and falling).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~20), then tapers with age. At 33, Rafael sits on 7.1, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Rafael's projected Rating — 25.6 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.
No transfer news found for this player.
