Raí

Early years

Born into a middle-class family in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Raí played street football and basketball during his youth. At the age of 15, he began pursuing football seriously and joined local club Botafogo after a friend encouraged him to attend a trial. He made his official debut in 1984 and, following a series of promising performances, signed for Série A club Ponte Preta two years later. However, injuries and a loss of form led to his return to Botafogo, where he revived his career under Uruguayan coach Pedro Rocha. His performances subsequently earned him a call-up to the Brazil national team and attracted interest from several clubs.

São Paulo

Raí joined São Paulo for the 1987 season, only making his league debut on 18 October due to injury. After scoring only once in his first year, Raí developed into a prolific goalscorer under coach Telê Santana, scoring 29 goals in the 1991 campaign as the team won both the regional Campeonato Paulista and the National Championship. In 1992, Raí helped São Paulo win the club's first Copa Libertadores, scoring the only goal of the second leg of the final against Newell's Old Boys to force a penalty shootout. Later that year, he scored both goals in São Paulo's 2–1 victory over Barcelona in the 1992 Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo. The performance capped an outstanding year for Raí, whose goalscoring exploits had earned him the nickname o Terror do Morumbi ("the Terror of Morumbi"), and he was…

Raí entered the 1994 FIFA World Cup as Brazil's captain and number 10, and was described in the British press as the team's "poster boy" before the tournament. He was selected by coach Carlos Alberto Parreira for the squad and captained the Seleção during the group stage, scoring a penalty in the opening match, a 2–0 win against Russia, after Romário was brought down in the box. Raí subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up ahead of the knockout stage, with Dunga taking over the captaincy. He appeared as a substitute against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Sweden in the semi-finals, as Brazil went on to win the tournament.

Raí often advanced from midfield to finish attacking moves and posing a particular danger from set pieces. His blend of technique and physical presence enabled him to influence matches both as a creator and as a scorer. Early in his career, Raí was criticised for his languid style of play and inconsistent work rate. Under Telê Santana at São Paulo, however, he developed greater tactical discipline and became a more complete midfielder. He later established himself as the central playmaker at Paris Saint-Germain, where he dictated his team's attacking play from midfield. His footballing intelligence, composure and leadership were also regarded as important aspects of his game.

In the early 2000s, Raí made a cameo appearance as himself in the TV Globo telenovela Laços de Família, in a scene in which he meets the character Ciça Soriano, played by Júlia Feldens, on a flight to New York City. Raí also became active in social advocacy and football administration. In December 1998, he co-founded the Fundação Gol de Letra with former teammate Leonardo, providing educational, sporting, cultural and vocational programmes for young people in disadvantaged communities in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In 2006, he helped establish Atletas pela Cidadania, later renamed Atletas pelo Brasil, which campaigns for access to sport and improved public sports policy. On 7 December 2017, Raí returned to São Paulo as the club's executive director of football, assuming responsibility for its football department and sporting planning. He remained in the position for just over three years. In February 2021, following the dismissal of head coach Fernando Diniz, Raí resigned before the scheduled end of his contract. In July 2022, Raí became a shareholder and ambassador of Paris FC, contributing to the club's institutional development while not being involved in its day-to-day sporting operations. In 2024, he completed an Executive Master in Public Policy Management at Sciences Po, which he undertook in connection with his social and educational work through the Gol de Letra Foundation.