Rafael Tolói

Lore & Background

Tolói represented his native country of Brazil internationally at the under-20 level in 2009, but switched allegiance at the senior grade to Italy in 2021 after meeting FIFA's five-year residency requirement. He had been living in Italy since his move to Atalanta early in the 2015–16 season, and had years earlier acquired Italian citizenship, for which he was eligible because his great-grandparents hailed from Treviso, Veneto. He made his senior debut for Italy in 2021, and represented the nation at their victorious UEFA Euro 2020 campaign.

Reader's Guide

Club career: Goiás – Born in Glória d'Oeste, Mato Grosso, he started playing for Goiás Esporte Clube in 2008, and helped his club win the Campeonato Goiano in 2009. Tolói played 17 Série B games for Goiás and scored two goals. He reached the 2010 Copa Sudamericana finals with the green team. São Paulo – On 5 July 2012, São Paulo confirmed Tolói in their squad, with the defender signing a five-year contract.

He scored his first goal for São Paulo on 25 July 2012 in a match against Atlético Goianiense. On 3 August 2013, Tolói scored the goal that confirmed the title of Eusébio Cup for São Paulo FC, in a 2–0 victory against S.L. Benfica. Loan to Roma – On 31 January 2014, Tolói was loaned to Serie A side AS Roma for the remainder of the 2013–14 season for a fee of €500,000. The move was agreed with an option to buy for a total value of €5.5 million.

He made his debut for the Giallorossi in their 2–1 win against Torino on 25 March 2014, playing the full 90 minutes in place of the suspended Medhi Benatia. Atalanta – On 26 August 2015, Tolói was signed by Atalanta for a €3.5 million transfer fee. He made his debut on 13 September, in a 2–2 league draw at Sassuolo, replacing Gianpaolo Bellini in the 80th minute. In his second match, eleven days later, he started and scored the sole goal, settling a 1–0 league win at Empoli.

On 22 February 2018, Tolói scored for the first time in a UEFA competition, against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League round of 32. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, which was not enough to see Atalanta through the next round, as the club had succumbed to a 3–2 defeat in the first leg. Tolói became Atalanta's captain during the 2020–21 season, following the departure of his predecessor Papu Gómez from the club. On 1 March 2022, Tolói signed a contract extension at Atalanta, keeping him at the club through 2024 with an option to extend the deal until 2026.

On 22 May 2024, Tolói made a late substitute appearance in Atalanta's 3–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final at the Dublin Arena. On 19 February, 2025, Toloí was involved in an altercation with an opponent during which he attempted to strike his opponent with a football before slipping and falling. The incident was widely memed across social media.