Hamza Rafia
Hamza Rafia (Arabic: حمزة رفيعة; born 22 April 1999) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Italian club Juventus U23 and the Tunisia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hamza Rafia | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Kalaat es Senam, Tunisia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Juventus U23 | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2009 | Bron Terraillon | ||
| 2009–2010 | Bron Grand Lyon | ||
| 2010–2016 | Lyon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | Lyon II | 26 | (5) |
| 2019– | Juventus U23 | 33 | (2) |
| 2020– | Juventus | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2016 | France U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2016 | France U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019– | Tunisia | 7 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:01, 13 January 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:01, 13 January 2021 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Born on 22 April 1999 in Kalaat es Senam, Tunisia,[1] Rafia moved to France as a child and played in the youth sectors of Bron Terraillon, Bron Grand Lyon, and Lyon.[2]
Club career
Lyon II
Coming through the youth system, Rafia played for the reserve team of Lyon in the Championnat de France Amateur, the fourth division of French football.[2] He made his debut on 28 May 2016,[1] during the 2015–16 season, in a 4–3 home defeat to Moulins Yzeure Foot.[3] His first goal for Lyon II came during the 2018–19 season, on 18 August 2018, helping his side win 5–2 against Monaco II.[4] Rafia scored five goals in 18 league games throughout the season.[1] In four seasons, he scored five goals in 26 games.[1]
Juventus U23
On 16 July 2019, Rafia joined Juventus on a three-year contract,[2] for a fee of €400,000, which can reach €5 million in add-ons, and 20% on his future sale.[5] Rafia played for Juventus' reserve team in the Serie C – Juventus U23 – making his professional debut in a 2–0 away loss to Novara in the league on 26 August 2019.[6] He helped Juventus U23 win the Coppa Italia Serie C, scoring against Ternana in the final, which ended 2–1.[7] During the 2019–20 season, Rafia played 20 games in the league, two in the promotion play-offs,[1] and scored three goals and made three assists in the Coppa Italia Serie C.[7]
Juventus
On 13 January 2021, Rafia made his senior debut for Juventus, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute in a Coppa Italia match against Genoa; he scored in the 104th minute, helping Juventus win 3–2 after extra time.[7]
International career
Rafia represented France at under-17 and under-18 levels, but decided to represent Tunisia at senior level.[2] He made his senior debut on 6 September 2019, coming off the bench in a 1–0 friendly win over Mauritania.[8]
Style of play
Rafia is an attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a right winger.[2]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 13 January 2021[1]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[lower-alpha 1] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon II | 2015–16 | Amateur | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Amateur | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18 | National 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | National 2 | 18 | 5 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 5 | ||
| Juventus U23 | 2019–20 | Serie C | 20 | 0 | — | — | 9[lower-alpha 2] | 3 | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie C | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 5 | ||
| Juventus | 2020–21 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Career total | 59 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 11 | ||
- Includes Coupe de France and Coppa Italia
- Two appearances in Serie C promotion play-offs, seven appearances and three goals in the Coppa Italia Serie C
- Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League
Honours
References
- Hamza Rafia at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- "Who is Juventus match winner Rafia? | Football Italia". www.football-italia.net. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "Olympique Lyonnais II vs. Moulins Yzeure Foot - 28 May 2016 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "Olympique Lyonnais II vs. Monaco II - 18 August 2018 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "Hamza Rafia completes transfer to Juventus". www.OL.fr. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "Novara vs. Juventus II - 26 August 2019 - Soccerway". ca.soccerway.com.
- "Chi è Rafia, il trequartista a segno all'esordio con la Juventus". Goal.com (in Italian). 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "Tunisia vs. Mauritania - 6 September 2019 - Soccerway". ca.soccerway.com.
External links
- Hamza Rafia at National-Football-Teams.com
- Hamza Rafia at Soccerway
- Hamza Rafia at the French Football Federation (in French).