Raphael Cavalcante Veiga (born 19 June 1995) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga MX club América, on loan from Brazilian Série A and Campeonato Paulista club Palmeiras.
Club career Coritiba Born in São Paulo, Veiga represented Portuguesa and Audax as a youth before joining Coritiba in September 2013. He spent two years in the youth setup before being promoted to the main squad in February 2016.
Veiga made his professional debut on 10 March 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for Thiago Lopes in a 3–0 Primeira Liga home win against Avaí. He made his Série A debut on 23 July, starting in a 1–0 away win against Santa Cruz.
Veiga scored his first goal as a senior on 3 August 2016, in a 1–3 loss at Vitória.
Palmeiras In December 2016, Veiga was transferred to Palmeiras, signing a five-year contract. He made his debut for the club the following month in a friendly match against Chapecoense. In his first season, Veiga played in 22 matches and scored two goals.
Loan to Atlético Paranaense
On 2 January 2018, after being sparingly used by Verdão, Veiga moved to Atlético Paranaense on a one-year loan deal. While on loan, he became a regular starter, and scored seven goals as the club finished seventh; he was also an important unit in the 2018 Copa Sudamericana, as Furacão ended up champions.
Breakthrough
Upon his return to Palmeiras, he initially struggled for playing time. His fortunes shifted dramatically in 2020 under managers Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Abel Ferreira, he became a key goal scorer in decisive matches and an integral figure in the club's trophy-laden campaign, which culminated in Copa Libertadores glory.
Between 2021 and 2022, Veiga delivered standout performances in major finals, such as the Copa Libertadores against Flamengo, the FIFA Club World Cup against Chelsea, and the Recopa Sudamericana against Athletico Paranaense. He also became the club’s top scorer in the Libertadores and captained the team for the first time. A serious ankle injury in 2022 temporarily interrupted his progress, but he returned in 2023 to play a central role in further triumphs, including the Supercopa do Brasil.
In 2024, Veiga reached significant milestones: surpassing 100 career goals, becoming Palmeiras’ leading scorer of the 21st century alongside Dudu, and completing 300 appearances for the club. Later that year, he scored his 100th goal for Palmeiras.
The 2025 season brought challenges, with a dip in form and more time spent as a substitute. Despite this, he contributed decisive goals in the Copa Libertadores semifinal against LDU, helping the team overturn a first-leg deficit and advance to the final.
Loan to América In February 2026, Veiga joined Club América in Mexico's top division on a one-year loan.
International career Veiga received his first call-up to the Brazil national team in March 2023 for a friendly match away against Morocco. Veiga was subbed on in the 65th minute in a 2–1 loss.
Veiga was called up again in June 2023, where he was used as a sub in both of the Seleção's matches during that international break, during a 4-1 against Guinea and a 4-2 loss against Senegal, both being friendly matches.
In September 2023, Veiga was included in Brazil's squad for their matches against Bolivia and Peru in the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. He was an unused sub during Brazil's 5-1 victory over Bolivia, but was subbed on in stoppage time in their match against Peru, which Brazil won 1-0.
Career statistics Club
ClubSeasonLeagueState leagueCopa do BrasilContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCoritiba2016Série A1930010—1Appearance in Primeira Liga0213Palmeiras2017Série A110711010—2012019193411061—3052020261191841022055182021311040201253One appearance and two goals in Supercopa do Brasil, two appearances and one goal in Recopa Sudamericana352182022193137329643482120233191434110312601820243411127407210582020252521421093405372026003000000030Total1964980222476422209384109Atlético Paranaense (loan)2018Série A317—70102—489América (loan)2025–26Liga MX152——51—2032026–2751——003081Total203——5130284Career total2666280223277925249481125
Honours Club Palmeiras Copa Libertadores: 2020, 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2022, 2023 Copa do Brasil: 2020 Campeonato Paulista: 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026 Recopa Sudamericana: 2022 Supercopa do Brasil: 2023
Atlético Paranaense Copa Sudamericana: 2018
Individual Copa do Brasil Golden Ball: 2020 Copa do Brasil Team of the final: 2020 Copa Libertadores Team of the Year: 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2021 Troféu Mesa Redonda Team of the Year: 2021, 2023, 2024 Bola de Prata: 2021, 2023 South American Team of the Year: 2021 Man of the Match the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup: Palmeiras 2x0 Al Ahly Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2022, 2023 Man of the Match the Supercopa do Brasil: 2023 Campeonato Paulista Best Player: 2023
See also
References
External links