His curly hair, his relationship with brother Fabio, his reaction to Carlos Tevez in the derby in 2010 and the sense that he would run through a brick wall for the team – United fans love him.
He’s a fan favourite and he loves the fans too so he was delighted to have been accepted by the fans the way he has:
“It’s great to win something voted by the fans.
”The supporters have helped me since I came here and I’m very happy with that.
“Since I arrived here, the fans have been amazing, singing songs for me or stopping me and telling me I’m a true Red.
“I’ve been coming here to training since I was 15 years old, a long time, so I feel like I am a true Red.”
Rafael has inherited the number 2 shirt, famously worn by Gary Neville, and it seems some of Neville has rubbed off on the Brazilian this season as his solid performances (as well as a wonder goal at Anfield) saw him named Player of the month. Speaking to ManUtd.Com, the full back said:
“I’m very happy to win this award, especially since I found out that defenders never win it.
“It’s just an honour to win, especially to beat Paul Scholes, and I’m very proud.
“It was a good month for me, very consistent, playing many games and of course scoring the goal at Liverpool was the high point for me. I think scoring at Anfield probably helped a lot with the voting!”