Rafael Pereira da Silva, commonly known as Rafael or Rafael da Silva, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Botafogo. He normally plays as a right-back, but he has also been deployed as a midfielder. He and his twin brother, Fábio, began their careers with Fluminense before joining Manchester United in January 2008. After seven years in England that included three Premier League titles, Rafael joined Lyon in August 2015 for a fee of up to £2.5 million.

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, commonly known as Botafogo, is a Brazilian sports club based in the bairro (neighborhood) of Botafogo, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Botafogo is mostly known for its association football team. It plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league. In 2000, Botafogo finished 12th in a vote by subscribers of FIFA Magazine for the FIFA Club of the Century. They have won the Brazilian championship two times, in 1968 and 1995.