Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Coronel Fabriciano, Minas Gerais, Brazil
About Rafael Pires
- Rafael Pires Monteiro (born 23 June 1989 in Coronel Fabriciano), simply known as Rafael, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Cruzeiro.
- He has played for them since he started his career.
- He joined their youth team in 2002 and made his full debut in 2008. In 2011 Rafael served as the goalkeeper for one of the most famous Clássico Mineiro derbies, in which Cruzeiro beat rivals Atlético Mineiro by 6x1 in the last round of that year's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. During Cruzeiro's 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A campaign, Rafael served as the team's main goalkeeper, after the team's captain and first goalie, Fábio was sidelined for 9 months with an injury.
- Rafael quickly showed he was more than worthy of that position, being recognized by fans for being as good as Fábio.
- During the first months of 2017, Rafael and Fábio battled for the first goalie spot, with Rafael playing for most of the 2017 Campeonato Mineiro.
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