Rapha come out of retirement to help Sada Cruzeiro

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One of the most respected setters in Brazilian volleyball is coming out of retirement — at least for a little while.

Raphael Vieira de Oliveira has interrupted his retirement to join Sada Cruzeiro at the beginning of the 2026/27 season, stepping in as the club deals with the absence of Matheus Brasília, currently with the Brazilian national team, and Gustavo, who is sidelined through injury.

The move brings an extraordinary amount of experience back onto the court. Rapha, widely regarded as one of Brazil’s finest setters of his generation, spent much of his career at the highest level of both Brazilian and international volleyball. He played for clubs including Vivo/Minas, Cimed, RJX and Taubaté, before becoming part of the history of Sada Cruzeiro, where he won major national and international honours.
His trophy cabinet includes Brazilian Superliga titles, Brazilian Cups and Super Cups, as well as the FIVB Club World Championship, among other honours. At international level, Rapha was also part of the Brazilian national-team setup and represented his country in major competitions.
Before returning to Brazil, he also built an impressive international career, playing in Italy for Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia and Trentino Volley, in Russia for Zenit Kazan, in Turkey for Halkbank Ankara, and later returned to Italy with Verona Volley.
He also had a spell in Qatar with Al-Rayyan.
His time with Trentino was particularly remarkable: he won four consecutive FIVB Club World Championship titles between 2009 and 2012, and was named Best Setter at all four editions. He was also voted Best Setter of the 2013/14 CEV Champions League.

After officially stepping away from professional volleyball, the 46-year-old now finds himself back in the gym — this time with a slightly different mission.
Rapha will help Sada Cruzeiro in the Campeonato Mineiro while also sharing his experience with the club’s young players, turning what began as an emergency solution into an opportunity for the next generation to learn directly from one of the great setters of Brazilian volleyball.

And now the five-star jersey has a familiar owner once again.
And, for Sada Cruzeiro’s youngsters, there may be no better temporary coach on the court than a legend who has decided he is not quite finished playing.

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