Nando Rafael
Nando Rafael in May 2007
Nando Rafael ( born January 10, 1984 in Luanda, Angola ) is an Angolan - German football player.
Prior to professional sports
His home country Angola he left at the age of eight years, after both parents had come in the Civil War died. Rafael survived only because he was playing at the time of the attack in the neighboring football. First, he immigrated illegally to the Netherlands. After ten years he got after long discussions with the Dutch authorities a Dutch passport, but no work permit, which ultimately led him to Germany. Since July 2005 he has German nationality.
Career
Association
Even in Angola played Rafael football. In the Netherlands, he joined the prestigious youth academy of Ajax Amsterdam, there to improve his soccer game. In the summer of 2002, he moved to Berlin at Hertha BSC. Although he had there in three years many applications, the final breakthrough should not succeed, which is why he left Berlin in the winter of 2006 to start a new beginning at Borussia Moenchengladbach. In his second season at Borussia the team got down to the second division. There, Rafael was not part of the permanent staff of Borussia with only twelve missions. At the end of the season 2007/ 08 he went with the team again in the Bundesliga. Despite this success, Rafael decided to renewed change of club. In Denmark at Aarhus GF he found a new employer. He scored ten goals in 32 league games.
At the beginning of the second half of the season 2009/10 undertook then German second division side FC Augsburg Rafael. He wrote on his birthday a contract until the end of season. At the end of the season 2010/11 Rafael rose with FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga. On March 31, 2012 ( 28 Matchday) he scored in a 2-1 victory in the home match on the 1st FC Cologne with the winning goal in the 45th minute from the penalty spot his first Bundesliga goal for Augsburg.
During the summer break in 2012, Rafael moved to Fortuna Dusseldorf. Since he only had a contract valid for the league, his engagement ended with the descent of the Düsseldorf at the end of the season 2012/13. In total, he completed 11 games for the Düsseldorf, scoring 2 goals.
On 1 July 2013, has been committed by the Chinese first division club Henan Jianye.
National
Rafael graduated 13 caps for the German U-21 national team, scoring five goals. On January 5, 2012, he was first appointed to the Angolan national football team and made his debut on January 26, 2012 at the African Cup against Sudan.
Private
Rafael lives with his girlfriend. Their daughter came in December 2006 to the world. Since 2011, Nando Rafael committed to Show Racism the Red Card - Germany eV He participated through a video message to the Education Initiative and reported on his own experiences with racism and discrimination.