Istanbul Basaksehir defender Rafael da Silva is still a fans’ favourite at Manchester United despite leaving the club around six years ago. Rafael da Silva could have been playing for Manchester United till date if he was not forced out of the club during the Louis Van Gaal era. The appointment of Dutchman Louis Van Gaalmarked the beginning of the end of Rafael da Silva at the Theatre of Dreams. He spent an underwhelming season at Manchester United under Louis Van Gaal for the 2014/15 campaign. His playing time dwindled that season in comparison to the previous seasons and that prompted him to leave Manchester United for Olympique Lyon.
Rafael da Silva started his international career with the Brazilian national team at the u-17 level. He was part of the Brazil squad for the 2007 u-17 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Korea. He could have played for the Portuguese national team as he had a Portuguese passport alongside his twin brother. Portugal national team manager, Carlos Queirozgave him the chance to switch to Portugal. Rafael da Silva received his first invitation to the Brazilian national team in 2010 under Mano Menezes but he didn’t feature for the Selecao until the May/June 2012 friendlies. He was called up as a replacement for the injured Dani Alves. Danilo of Juventus started ahead of Rafael da Silva for the international friendly game with Denmark on May 26, 2012. Rafael da Silva was part of the Brazil team that won the football tournament at the 2012 Olympics in London.