Rwan Philipe Rodrigues de Souza Cruz

Rwan Cruz's route to the top of the Bulgarian First League ran through a spell laying bricks. During the pandemic, with his registration tied up in red tape and no club willing to play him, the Brazilian forward took construction work to get by before Santos signed him in December 2021 for around R$ 700,000. He managed 28 appearances and three goals in Santos colours before a loan to CR Vasco da Gama yielded only two outings.

The move that changed things was to Ludogorets Razgrad in July 2023, initially on loan. He scored 14 goals in 32 league games in his first season, adding three in the Bulgarian Cup and two in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Ludogorets made the deal permanent that January, sending midfielder Nonato to Santos as part of the swap. He scored ten times in just 18 league appearances to finish as the division's top scorer.

Botafogo paid around €8 million for him in February 2025, closing a spell in which he had scored 24 goals in 50 league matches across his two stints in Bulgaria. Botafogo used him sparingly — 14 appearances, two goals — before loaning him to Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer, where he featured ten times. In 2026 he returned to Ludogorets, back on loan from Botafogo, picking up in Razgrad where he had left his mark before.