Rayan (footballer, born 2006)
Brazilian footballer (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha (born 3 August 2006), known simply as Rayan (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁaˈjɐ̃]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right winger or forward for Premier League club Bournemouth and the Brazil national team.
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Rayan with Bournemouth in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 August 2006 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Bournemouth | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 37 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2023 | Vasco da Gama | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2026 | Vasco da Gama | 74 | (19) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Bournemouth | 15 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Brazil U17 | 14 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Brazil U20 | 11 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Brazil | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 06:54, 26 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 03:16, 1 June 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Vasco da Gama
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rayan joined Vasco da Gama at the age of six.[4][5] He established a name for himself as a prolific goal-scorer, scoring 280 goals by the age of eleven.[6] He continued this form into Vasco's under-17 team, scoring 29 goals in 34 games in 2022, catching the eye of Spanish side Barcelona.[7][8]
In 2023, Rayan made his professional debut at age 16, becoming the youngest player to play for Vasco da Gama's professional team in the 21st century.[9] He came on as a substitute in the second half of the 1–1 draw against Audax in the Campeonato Carioca.[10] In the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, he scored his first goal for the professional team in a 2–1 defeat against Internacional at Estádio Beira-Rio.[11] In 2025, Rayan gained more playing time in the starting lineup with the arrival of coach Fernando Diniz.[12][13] He helped Vasco reach the final of the Copa do Brasil, scoring one goal and initiating the play that led to the other goal in the semi-finals against rivals Fluminense.[14] Rayan finished the season receiving the Best Newcomer Award for the 2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A,[15] and was named to the Team of the Year in the 2025 Copa do Brasil.[16]
On 12 December 2025, Rayan signed a new contract with Vasco da Gama until December 2028.[17]
Bournemouth
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On 27 January 2026, Rayan signed for Premier League club Bournemouth until June 2031.[18] The transfer was reported to be worth £24.7 million, including £5.6 million in potential add-ons.[19] He made his debut as a substitute in an 2–0 away win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 31 January, assisting Alex Scott for Bournemouth's second goal.[20] He made his first start for the club the following week on 7 February, where he scored the equalising goal against Aston Villa in a 1–1 home draw.[21] His second goal came in the next match on 10 February, scoring a headed goal to help secure a 2–1 away win against Everton.[22] Hence, he became the third teenager in Premier League history to register a goal or assist in each of his first three appearances, following Robbie Keane in 1999 and Anthony Martial in 2015.[23]
With goals against Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Fulham on 22 April, 3 May and 9 May 2026 respectively, Rayan became the sixteenth teenager in Premier League history to score in three consecutive matches, and, with teammate Eli Junior Kroupi achieving the same feat earlier in the season, the duo made Bournemouth the first club in Premier League history to have two teenagers score in three consecutive matches in a single season.[24]
International career
Rayan was called up to the Brazil under-17 squad for friendlies against Chile and Paraguay in 2022; he scored twice in four games.[5]
On 16 March 2026, Rayan earned his first call-up to the Brazil national team for friendlies against France and Croatia, debuting against the latter.[25][26]
On 18 May 2026, Rayan was selected as part of Carlo Ancelotti's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[27]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 May 2026[28]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vasco da Gama | 2023 | Série A | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | Série A | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2025 | Série A | 34 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 5 | — | 8[c] | 1 | 57 | 20 | ||
| 2026 | Série A | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 64 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 5 | — | 8 | 1 | 99 | 25 | |||
| Bournemouth | 2025–26 | Premier League | 15 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 5 | ||||
| Career total | 79 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 114 | 30 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Carioca
- Includes Copa do Brasil
- Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
International
- As of match played 31 May 2026[26]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2026 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | |
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.[26]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 May 2026 | Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 2 |  Panama | 3–1 | 6–2 | Friendly |
Honours
Brazil U20
Individual
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Newcomer: 2025
- Copa do Brasil top scorer: 2025 (5 goals)[29]
