Rafael Santos Family: Girlfriend, Children, Parents and Siblings

Last Updated on September 24, 2026 by Gabriel

Rafael Santos is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for St. Louis CITY SC in Major League Soccer. His full name is Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos, and he was born on February 5, 1998, in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Before moving to the United States, Santos built his career in Brazil with clubs including Mirassol, Cruzeiro, Chapecoense, Inter de Limeira, Ponte Preta and Coritiba.

Despite spending several years in high-profile professional football, Rafael Santos has kept his family and relationships almost completely outside the public spotlight. Reliable sources provide extensive information about his football career but very little about his girlfriend, children, parents or siblings. Here is what is publicly known about Rafael Santos’s family as of now.

Who Is Rafael Santos’s Girlfriend?

Rafael Santos has not publicly confirmed a girlfriend or wife through a reliable source. Searches of official club material, Brazilian sports coverage, MLS profiles and interviews concerning the defender do not identify a romantic partner.

Santos appears to separate his professional career from his private relationships. Most coverage of him has concentrated on his performances as a left-back, transfers between clubs and his adaptation to football in the United States.

There is also no reliable public announcement showing that Santos is married or engaged. Because the name Rafael Santos is extremely common in Brazil, particular caution is necessary when attempting to connect social-media accounts or personal information to the St. Louis CITY SC defender.

As of now, his relationship status should therefore be regarded as private rather than assumed from unverified online information.

Does Rafael Santos Have Children?

There is no reliable public information confirming that Rafael Santos has children.

His official profiles with Orlando City, Major League Soccer and St. Louis CITY SC do not mention him being a father, while established Brazilian coverage of his career has not reliably identified a son or daughter.

This does not necessarily mean that Santos has no children. Professional footballers can choose to keep their families completely private. It means only that no child can currently be attributed to him on the basis of dependable public evidence.

As of now, Rafael Santos has no publicly confirmed children.

Who Are Rafael Santos’s Parents?

The names of Rafael Santos’s father and mother have not been publicly documented by his clubs or another sufficiently reliable source.

Santos was born and raised in Londrina, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, before his football development took him to academies and clubs in other parts of the country. Although his family would naturally form part of his personal background, the defender has not extensively discussed his parents in widely available interviews.

Because both “Cardoso” and “dos Santos” are common Brazilian surnames, it would be unreliable to identify relatives merely because they share part of his full name, Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos.

Rafael Santos’s Father

Rafael Santos’s father’s identity has not been publicly confirmed through an authoritative football or media source.

There is little verified information about his father’s occupation, background or involvement in Rafael’s early football development. While family support is often significant for young Brazilian players moving through academy systems, no specific role should be assigned to Santos’s father without direct evidence.

What is known is that Rafael began pursuing football seriously at a young age and moved through several youth environments before establishing himself as a professional. His development eventually took him well beyond his hometown of Londrina and later outside Brazil entirely.

Rafael Santos’s Mother

Rafael Santos’s mother’s name has likewise not been reliably published in established sources.

She has remained outside the public profile created by her son’s professional career, and there is no trustworthy information available about her profession or personal background.

Santos has not made detailed discussion of his mother a regular part of his interviews, meaning that attempts to identify her through unrelated social-media accounts would risk connecting the footballer to the wrong person.

Does Rafael Santos Have Siblings?

No brother or sister of Rafael Santos has been reliably identified in official player biographies or established media coverage.

This does not establish that the Brazilian defender is an only child. Rather, information about possible siblings appears to remain private.

The combination of extremely common Brazilian names in Santos’s full name also makes unsupported family identification particularly risky. Another person named Cardoso or Santos should not be described as his sibling without an explicit and verifiable connection.

As of now, there are therefore no publicly confirmed siblings who can confidently be named in a biography of the footballer.

Rafael Santos’s Family Background in Londrina

Although information about individual members of his family is scarce, Santos’s place of origin is well documented. He was born in Londrina, one of the largest cities in Paraná, on February 5, 1998.

His football journey eventually took him away from his hometown at a relatively young age. Santos spent time in the youth systems of Figueirense and Inter de Limeira before joining Mirassol, where he moved closer to senior professional football.

That pathway required considerable movement around Brazil. For a young player originally from Paraná, progressing through clubs in Santa Catarina and São Paulo before entering senior football meant adapting to different environments well before his later move abroad.

However, reliable sources have not provided enough information to describe precisely how his parents or other relatives participated in those moves.

Rafael Santos’s Early Football Journey

Santos’s development accelerated after joining Mirassol. Following his performances at youth level, he earned opportunities with the club’s senior side and began attracting attention from larger teams.

He also spent a period in Spain with Atlético Madrid’s youth setup on a trial or temporary development spell. Although that experience did not lead to a permanent transfer, it gave Santos exposure to European football at a young age.

He returned to Brazil and continued his progression with Mirassol before Cruzeiro brought him into its structure.

Cruzeiro initially acquired Santos for its under-20 setup, and he later moved into the senior squad. His time connected to the Belo Horizonte club became an important part of his career, even though he also spent several periods away on loan.

Rafael Santos’s Career Away From Home

During his years under contract with Cruzeiro, Santos gained experience with several Brazilian clubs.

He joined Chapecoense on loan and was part of the squad during the club’s successful Campeonato Brasileiro Série B campaign. Further spells followed with Inter de Limeira, Ponte Preta and Coritiba.

Those moves meant that Santos’s professional career took him through several Brazilian states. He developed a reputation as an attacking left-back capable of contributing crosses, set pieces and forward runs from the defensive line.

He later returned to Cruzeiro and was involved during another successful Série B campaign before receiving the opportunity to continue his career outside Brazil.

Rafael Santos’s Move to the United States

In January 2023, Orlando City announced the signing of Rafael Santos from Cruzeiro. It was the first permanent move abroad of his senior professional career.

Orlando described him as a technically gifted left-back with an ability to create attacking opportunities through crossing and set pieces. He quickly became an important option on the left side of the club’s defense.

Santos scored his first MLS goal against Inter Miami CF in May 2023 and went on to accumulate significant playing time during three seasons with Orlando.

Moving from Brazil to Florida represented another major geographical change in a career already characterized by frequent moves. However, neither Orlando City nor Santos publicly introduced parents, siblings or a partner as part of the club’s coverage of his arrival.

From Orlando City to Colorado Rapids

Santos remained with Orlando City until August 2025, when Colorado Rapids acquired the Brazilian defender.

His time in Colorado was relatively brief, but he continued to demonstrate his attacking ability from left-back. He recorded a goal and assists during his appearances with the Rapids before another MLS opportunity emerged.

By this stage of his career, Santos had accumulated substantial experience in American soccer after previously spending his entire senior career in Brazil.

Rafael Santos Joins St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louis CITY SC signed Rafael Santos ahead of the 2026 MLS season. The club announced his arrival in January 2026 after his spell with the Colorado Rapids.

Santos signed a contract running through June 30, 2027, with club options covering additional seasons. St. Louis highlighted his MLS experience as one of the reasons for bringing him into the squad.

By September 2026, Santos had become part of the club’s defensive rotation while also continuing to offer an attacking threat from the left side.

His move to St. Louis added another destination to a career that has taken him from Londrina to clubs across Brazil and then to Orlando, Colorado and Missouri.

Why Is So Little Known About Rafael Santos’s Family?

The lack of information about Rafael Santos’s relatives appears largely to reflect his approach to privacy rather than any unusual circumstances.

Some professional footballers regularly feature partners, parents and siblings in interviews or social-media content. Others keep almost all family information separate from their public careers. Santos falls into the latter category based on currently available reliable coverage.

Official profiles from his MLS clubs focus almost entirely on his football history, statistics, transfer record and playing characteristics. Brazilian reporting similarly concentrates primarily on his performances and club movements.

This means there is not currently enough dependable evidence to provide names for his parents or siblings or to identify a girlfriend, wife or children without speculation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rafael Santos’s Family

Who is Rafael Santos’s girlfriend?

Rafael Santos has not publicly confirmed a girlfriend through a reliable source. His current relationship status remains private as of now.

Is Rafael Santos married?

There is no reliable public announcement confirming that Rafael Santos is married.

Does Rafael Santos have children?

No children have been publicly confirmed for Rafael Santos through official club sources or established media coverage.

Who is Rafael Santos’s father?

The name of Rafael Santos’s father has not been reliably disclosed publicly. There is also no confirmed information about his father’s occupation or sporting background.

Who is Rafael Santos’s mother?

Rafael Santos’s mother’s identity has not been publicly established by an authoritative source.

Does Rafael Santos have siblings?

No brother or sister has been reliably identified in public sources, so it remains unknown whether Rafael Santos has siblings.

What is Rafael Santos’s full name?

His full name is Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos.

When was Rafael Santos born?

Rafael Santos was born on February 5, 1998.

Where is Rafael Santos from?

He was born in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.

Which club does Rafael Santos play for?

As of now, Rafael Santos plays for St. Louis CITY SC in Major League Soccer. He joined the club ahead of the 2026 season after previously representing Orlando City and Colorado Rapids in MLS.