Rafael Nel

Club

Sporting CP

Position

Centre-Forward

Nationality

Portugal

Date of birth

2005-04-03

Birthplace

Amadora, Portugal

Height

1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)

Rafael Ferreira Nel (born 3 April 2005) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga Portugal 2 club Sporting CP B.

Club career
Nel began playing football with the academy of Benfica before moving to Belenenses, and then finishing his development with Sporting CP in 2020. He signed his first professional contract with Sporting on 22 November 2022. He was promoted to Sporting CP B in the Liga 3 for the 2023–24 season. He made his senior and professional debut with the senior Sporting squad in a 3–1 UEFA Europa League win over Young Boys on 15 February 2024. On 13 August 2024, he again extended his contract with Sporting until 2029.

On 15 February 2026, Nel made his Primeira Liga debut as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Famalicão. A month later, on 17 March, he scored his first goal in the stoppage time of extra time in a 5–0 win over Bodø/Glimt during the Champions League round of 16.

International career
Nel is a youth international for Portugal. He was called up to the Portugal U20s for a set of friendlies in March 2024.