Raí

Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira was born on May 15, 1965, in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. Brother of fellow star Sócrates, he began his career at Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto and played for Ponte Preta before joining São Paulo in 1987. At São Paulo, he became the great symbol of the victorious era commanded by Telê Santana. Team captain, he won the Brazilian Championship in 1991 and the Copa Libertadores in 1992 and 1993. In the 1992 Intercontinental Cup final, he scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over Barcelona in Tokyo. In 1992, he was elected the best player in South America by the newspaper El País. In 1993 he transferred to Paris Saint-Germain, where he became a historic idol. For the French club, he won the French Championship in 1994, the European Cup-Winners' Cup in 1996 and two Coupe de France titles, scoring 72 goals in 215 matches. He returned to São Paulo in 1998, ending his career in 2000 with two São Paulo championships in his second stint. For the Brazilian national team, he played 51 matches and scored 17 goals. He was world champion in 1994 in the United States, having been the team captain in the first phase. After hanging up his boots, he co-founded the Gol de Letra Foundation alongside Leonardo and was the executive director of football at São Paulo from 2017 to 2019.