Brasília: “After a period away from the pitch, and after a long recovery, it is time for me to announce an important decision… I have decided to retire,” he said, adding that the injury he suffered more than a year ago stopped him from competing at the highest levels again.

The younger brother of Thiago Alcantara, who himself retired from football a year and a half ago at 32, Rafinha’s journey began at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy. He rose through the ranks to make his first-team debut in 2011, before gaining valuable experience on loan at Celta Vigo during the 2013–2014 season.

His career later included another loan spell at Inter Milan, a return to Celta Vigo in the 2019–2020 season, and a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, where he spent two seasons in France. In 2022, Rafinha returned to Spain with Real Sociedad before closing out his professional journey in Qatar with Al-Arabi, where he played for two years.