Former Bayern Munich defender and Brazilian international Rafinha has officially returned to his home country after signing a nine-month long contract with Grêmio Porto Alegrense, confirmed the club on Monday; the contract runs until the end of this year.
The 35-year-old left Olympiacos FC last month, having made 14 appearances for the reigning champions of the Super League Greece. There have been reports that confirmed the Brazilian side’s interest in bringing the veteran home. It has been stated that the head coach of Grêmio, Renato Gaúcho, wanted to add an experienced player like Rafinha to the roster, exclusively to liven up and reinforce the defense of the club.
There were rumors about the right-back possibly returning to the Bundesliga to his former club Schalke 04. It was also reported that two other Brazilians clubs — Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro — had eyes on the player after he left Greece as a free agent.
Rafinha made the most impact in Germany, playing 153 and 157 games for Schalke and Bayern respectively.
Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images
Wishing Rafinha the best of luck as he moves on to the next chapter in his career.
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