Arsenal Women sign Brazilian international defender Rafaelle Souza | OneFootball

Rafaelle Souza playing for Brazil at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. (Photo: Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

Thirty-year-old Brazilian centre-back Rafaelle Souza has signed for Arsenal Women from Chinese club Changchun Zhuoyue.

Souza – who has 33 caps for her country and five goals – was part of the Brazil squad that finished second at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup.

The former Houston Dash and Palmeiras player told www.arsenal.com: “I’m so excited. I feel great to be here and to be playing in such a strong and competitive league. I feel like when I decided to come here, I was looking for a club where I can show my football and show my skills and be in the centre of the world. That’s my challenge, to show my football to the world.”

“We’re delighted to be able to welcome Rafaelle to the club,” said head coach Jonas Eidevall. “Her international experience, technical ability and leadership qualities make her an important signing for us – I’m looking forward to working with her and I’m sure the Arsenal fans are excited to see her in action.”

“The signing of Rafaelle represents another significant addition to our squad,” said head of women’s football Clare Wheatley. “Rafaelle has proven international pedigree and we are sure that she will make a valuable contribution both this season and moving forward.”

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