Nando Rafael (born 10 January 1984) is an Angolan former professional footballer who played as a forward. A former youth international for Germany, he played for the Angola national team three times.
Early life Rafael was born in Luanda. He fled from the Angolan Civil War at the age of eight after both of his parents had been killed, and resided at first illegally in the Netherlands. There he did not receive a work permit and was therefore unable to play football professionally, forcing him to move elsewhere.
Club career In 2002, Rafael signed for Hertha BSC in Germany. In 2006, he was signed by Borussia Mönchengladbach. His first season at AGF was partly spoiled by injuries, making his impact on the team less significant than expected. His physically strong appearance makes him a solid target player, but he also has good technical skills and is a competent goal scorer. He joined from AGF on 10 January 2010 on loan to FC Augsburg for one season. On 19 July 2010, Rafael signed a two-year contract with FC Augsburg.
On 27 June 2013, Rafael joined China League One club Henan Jianye, replacing Joël Tshibamba who was released by the club.
International career Rafael was born in Angola, raised in the Netherlands, and moved to Germany as a teenager to further his footballing career. Rafael eventually received a German passport and was a German international at U21 level. He switched to the Angola in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He already played for Palancas Negras in a rated-B friendly match against Portuguese side Sporting CP on 10 November 2011.
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAjax II2001–02Beloften Eredivisie182——Ajax2001–02Eredivisie0000—0000Hertha BSC II2002–03NOFV-Oberliga Nord1613———16132003–04105———105Total2618000002618Hertha BSC2002–03Bundesliga62000010722003–042453100002762004–0528620——3062005–06123101051194Total70166110618318Borussia Mönchengladbach2005–06Bundesliga14300——1432006–0719320——2132007–082. Bundesliga12310——133Total359300000389Borussia Mönchengladbach II2006–07Regionalliga Nord20———202007–08Oberliga Nordrhein10———10Total300000030AGF2008–09Danish Superliga17521——1962009–1016500——165Total3310210000351FC Augsburg (loan)2009–102. Bundesliga10421——125FC Augsburg2010–112. Bundesliga271434——30182011–12Bundesliga6210——72Total33164400003720Fortuna Düsseldorf2012–13Bundesliga11231——143Henan Jianye2013China League One147——2014Chinese Super League213——Total35100000VfL Bochum2015–162. Bundesliga8100——81Career total292881061
Honours Borussia Mönchengladbach 2. Bundesliga: 2007–08
Henan Jianye China League One: 2013
References
External links
Official Danish Superliga player statistics at danskfodbold.com