Rafa Silva

Rafa Silva's place in Portuguese football folklore rests on one moment: the goal that beat Hungary at Euro 2020, still recalled as the strike that defined his spell with the national team.

He came through the academy at Alverca before his senior career began in earnest at Feirense, where he broke into the first team in 2012/13 and scored 11 goals in 47 appearances. A move to Braga followed in 2013, and three seasons there, 127 matches and 26 goals, persuaded Benfica to sign him in September 2016 for €16.4 million.

That first spell at Benfica became the most productive of his career: 326 appearances and 94 goals, alongside three Portuguese league titles, three domestic cups and three Super Cups. He was also named the Primeira Liga's top assist provider in 2021/22 and again in 2023/24.

In June 2024 he left as a free agent for Beşiktaş, signing a three-year contract reported at €6 million a season. He scored 23 goals in 65 appearances in Istanbul and won the Turkish Super Cup, before returning to Benfica in January 2026 for a fee of around €5 million, on a contract running to 2028.

With Portugal, Rafa Silva won Euro 2016, coming on as a substitute in the group stage, and the 2018/19 Nations League, appearing from the bench in the final. He earned 25 caps between 2014 and 2022 and announced his retirement from the national team in September 2022. He has been made a Commander of the Order of Merit in Portugal.