Raí facts for kids
Raí in 2009
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Raimundo Souza Vieira de Oliveira | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 May 1965 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ribeirão Preto, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1985 | Botafogo-SP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1987 | Botafogo-SP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | → Ponte Preta (loan) | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1993 | São Paulo | 110 | (25) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1998 | Paris Saint-Germain | 147 | (51) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | São Paulo | 19 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 284 | (77) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1998 | Brazil | 49 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Raí, whose full name is Raimundo Souza Vieira de Oliveira, is a famous Brazilian former football player. He was born on May 15, 1965. Raí played as an attacking midfielder, which means he helped both defend and score goals. He is also the younger brother of another famous footballer, Sócrates. Raí played for the Brazilian national team for over ten years. He was part of the team that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Raí spent most of his 15-year career playing for two main teams: São Paulo in Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. He won 10 major titles with these two clubs. He also scored almost 100 goals during his time playing. Many fans, journalists, and other players see Raí as a legend at PSG, even though he played there for a shorter time.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Football Journey
Raí was born in Ribeirão Preto, a city in São Paulo, Brazil. He started his football career with a local team called Botafogo. In 1986, he moved to Ponte Preta. There, he played his first game in Brazil's top league, the Série A.
Time with São Paulo FC
Raí joined São Paulo FC for the 1987 season. He had to wait until October 18 to play his first league game because of an injury. In his first year, he only scored one goal. However, when Telê Santana became the coach, Raí became a great goal scorer. In 1991, he scored 28 goals overall. That year, his team won both the regional Campeonato Paulista and the National Championship.
In 1992, Raí was part of the São Paulo team that won the Copa Libertadores for the first time ever. This is a very important South American club competition. He scored the only goal in the second game of the final against Newell's Old Boys. This goal made the game go to a penalty shootout, which São Paulo won. Later that year, he helped his team beat FC Barcelona in the 1992 Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo. He scored both goals in their 2–1 win. Because of his amazing performance, Raí was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 1992.
In the 1993 season, São Paulo won the 1993 Copa Libertadores again. Raí scored in the final once more, as CD Universidad Católica were beaten 5–1.
Playing in France for Paris Saint-Germain
In June 1993, Raí moved to France to play for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (PSG). He stayed with São Paulo until the end of that year. He scored six goals in 28 games for PSG. His new club won the French national championship, Ligue 1, for the second time in its history during the 1993–94 season. He also helped PSG win the French Cup in the next season. He scored in the League Cup final against SC Bastia, which PSG won 2–0. He also helped PSG reach the semi-finals of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League.
Raí was very important when PSG won the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996. He scored two goals in a 3–1 home win against Parma, after they had lost 1–0 away. He also played in the final against SK Rapid Wien. During his five years at PSG, he scored more than ten goals in three different seasons. In the 1997–98 season, he scored in both the Coupe de la Ligue final and the Coupe de France final. PSG won both games against Bordeaux and Lens.
Coming Back to São Paulo
When he was 33 years old, Raí returned to play for São Paulo. He stopped playing professional football in the year 2000.
Playing for Brazil
Raí played his first game for the Brazilian national team in 1987. He played a total of 49 games for his country. He was chosen for the 1987 Copa América in Argentina. He played two games in that tournament, including a 0–4 loss against Chile. Brazil did not get past the group stage that year. His first game for Brazil was on May 19, 1987, in the Rous Cup. He played for 15 minutes in a 1–1 draw against England.
Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira chose Raí for the 1994 FIFA World Cup team. Raí was the team captain during the first part of the tournament, the group stage. He scored a penalty kick in the first game, a 2–0 win against Russia. Later in the tournament, Raí was not in the starting team for the knockout games. Dunga became the captain. Raí came on as a substitute in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands and in the semi-finals against Sweden. The Brazilian team, known as the Seleção, went on to win the World Cup that year.
Life After Football
After he stopped playing football, Raí became involved in helping others. He has worked with two different organizations that do good deeds for people.
In the early 2000s, Raí also appeared briefly in a Brazilian TV show called Laços de Família. He played himself, an ex-footballer, who meets one of the show's characters on a flight to New York.
Football Achievements
Here are some of the major titles Raí won during his career:
São Paulo
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1991 (Brazilian National Championship)
- Campeonato Paulista: 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000 (São Paulo State Championship)
- Copa Libertadores: 1992, 1993 (South American Club Championship)
- Intercontinental Cup: 1992 (World Club Championship)
Paris Saint-Germain
- Division 1: 1993–94 (French National Championship)
- Coupe de France: 1994–95, 1997–98 (French Cup)
- Coupe de la Ligue: 1994–95, 1997–98 (French League Cup)
- Trophée des Champions: 1995 (French Super Cup)
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1995–96 (European Cup Winners' Cup); runner-up 1996–97
Brazil National Team
- FIFA World Cup: 1994
- Copa América runner-up: 1991
Individual Awards
- Bola de Prata: 1989 (Brazilian Football Award)
- Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award: 1992
- South American Footballer of the Year: 1992
- South American Team of the Year: 1992
- IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer: 1992
- French Division 1 Foreign Player of the Year: 1995, 1997
- ESM Team of the Year: 1995–96
- Laureus Sport for Good Award: 2012
- Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur: 2013 (A high French honor)
- Honorary degree of the Paris Nanterre University: 2019
Images for kids
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Raí in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Raí para niños
