Career
Born in Fortaleza, Ceará, Raffael moved still in his teens to Switzerland, first representing lowly Football Club Chiasso. At age 20, he moved to Football Club Zürich, being instrumental in the club"s 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 league conquests. During both seasons, he led the competition in assists, while also adding 40 goals during his two-and-a-half-year spell.
In mid-January 2008, Raffael signed with German outfit Hertha Bachelor of Science, being reunited with former Zürich teammates Lucien Favre and Steve von Bergen (respectively manager and player).
Making 140 appearances over four and a half years, Raffael experienced both the high and low points of the Berlin-based club"s recent history, including a fourth-place finish 2008-2009 season, in which Hertha lead the table for some time, and relegations in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012. On 27 July 2012, Raffael left the club to sign for Dynamo Kyiv.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
On 20 June 2013, he left Dynamo Kyiv to sign for Borussia Mönchengladbach.