Rafaël Dias

Rafaël Dias
Born	(1991-01-29) January 29, 1991 Covilhã, Portugal
Occupation	Professional footballer
Known for	Playing for Racing Besançon

Rafaël Marques Dias Brito (born 29 January 1991), widely recognized as Rafaël Dias, is a Portuguese professional footballer currently playing for the French team Racing Besançon.

Originating from Covilhã, Portugal, Dias obtained French citizenship and represented France at the under-15 and under-16 levels before opting to represent Portugal's under-20 squad in 2010.

Operating primarily as an attacking midfielder, Dias is the son of former S.C. Covilhã player Quim Brito and the nephew of ex-Portuguese international César Brito. He made his professional debut on 7 April 2010 with Sochaux in a league fixture against Marseille. Later that year, on 2 September 2010, Dias secured his first professional contract with Sochaux, committing to a three-year term until June 2013.

Early years

Dias was born on 7 January 1991 in Covilhã, Portugal. When he was six months old, his family relocated to France following his father Quim Brito’s signing with FC 4 Rivières 70, an amateur club based in Dampierre-sur-Salon, Franche-Comté. His uncle, César Brito, also had a career representing the Portuguese national team. Dias began his football journey at age five with 4 Rivières in 1996, spending seven years there before joining the youth ranks of professional side Sochaux in 2003.

Sochaux

Upon joining Sochaux’s academy, Dias quickly established himself as a promising talent alongside peers such as midfielder Serdar Gürler, forward Cédric Bakambu, and goalkeeper Pierrick Cros. During the 2008–09 campaign, he made his debut for the reserve squad competing in the Championnat de France amateur, accumulating eight appearances.

In the following season (2009–10), Dias featured in 15 matches for the reserves and netted six goals. He played a key role in Sochaux’s under-19 team reaching the final of the prestigious 2009–10 Coupe Gambardella, scoring braces in both quarter-final and semi-final rounds. Although they lost the final on penalties to Metz, Dias successfully converted his penalty kick. This performance drew attention from scouts representing English club Tottenham Hotspur.

Midway through that Ligue 1 season, manager Francis Gillot promoted both Dias and Gürler to the senior squad. Dias made his professional debut on 7 April 2010 against Marseille, coming off the bench for the final 16 minutes in a match that ended in a 3–0 defeat. Two weeks later, he appeared again as a substitute versus Boulogne.

After spending time training with Portuguese side Benfica during the summer off-season, Dias returned to Sochaux due to existing contractual commitments. On 2 September 2010, he signed his inaugural professional contract—a three-year agreement lasting until June 2013—and was officially promoted to the first team, assigned jersey number 28. Throughout that season, he continued to contribute to Sochaux’s reserve squad in the CFA, scoring four goals across ten outings. His first senior appearance of the campaign came on 16 October during a 2–0 loss against Montpellier.

Approaching the end of his initial contract, Dias extended his stay by signing a new three-year deal on 30 June 2013. To secure more consistent playing opportunities, he was loaned out to Ligue 2 club AC Arles-Avignon in January 2014.

Later career

On 1 September 2014, Dias committed to a two-year deal with the Ligue 2 side US Créteil. In October 2016, he transitioned to the amateur ranks by signing with Racing Besançon. By June 2017, Dias made his way back to US Créteil, which was then competing in the Championnat National. He later transferred to Besançon in October 2018 before returning to their local rivals, Racing Besançon, during the summer of 2021. For the 2022–23 campaign, Dias was entrusted with the role of club captain.

International career

Although born in Portugal, Dias grew up in France from the age of six months and was therefore eligible to represent either nation internationally. Early in his youth career, he played for France's under-15 and under-16 squads, featuring in friendlies against Poland in March 2007. Following a pause in his international involvement from 2007 until 2010, Dias expressed his desire to play for Portugal. He declined an invitation to a France under-21 training camp and was subsequently called up to join Portugal’s under-20 team. His debut for Portugal U20 came in October 2010 against France, and he also took part in the build-up to the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

External links

• Rafaël Dias profile at fcsochaux.fr