RAFAEL: ISTANBUL BASAKSEHIR CAREER REVIEWED

Brazilian fullback Rafael da Silva signed for Turkish Super League outfit Istanbul Basaksehir in the summer of 2020 and on the back of his five-year spell at French club Lyon. The right-back was a Lyon player for a period of five years from 2015 to 2020.

Rafael da Silva left Lyon at the end of his contract with the club shortly after the 2019/20 season came to an end. The Brazilian player was given a two-year deal at Istanbul Basaksehir with the option of a third year when he joined them. Rafael signed for Istanbul Basaksehir when they were they were the reigning champions in the Turkish Super League as they had just won the league title some weeks earlier. The former Manchester United star was officially confirmed as a player on the books of Istanbul Basaksehir on September 8, 2020 and he would go on to spend just one year at the club before returning to Brazil.

Istanbul Basaksehir were the Turkish champions as pointed out earlier which means that Rafael da Silva made a return to the Champions League stage and the highlight of his time in Turkey is undoubtedly been paired in the same group. Rafael is a vocal Manchester United fan and he enjoys a cult hero status amongst the fans till date as their former player. The Brazilian has previously revealed that he's still a keen follower of Manchester United despite leaving the club for Lyon in 2015.
Rafael faced Manchester United with Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League group stage last season with his team surprisingly beating the Premier League team 2-1 at home before they were convincingly beaten in the return leg at Old Trafford via a 4-1 scoreline.
Istanbul Basaksehir didn't hit the heights last season in comparison to the previous season and Rafael da Silva made the decision to leave the club and return to Botafogo last year. He was unveiled at Botafogo in September 2021 and was handed a two-and-a-half year deal. Rafael and his twin brother Fabio da Silva supported Botafogo when they were young.