Rafael Profini

Rafael Profini
Personal information
Full name Rafael Profini
Date of birth (2003-09-09) 9 September 2003 (age 23)
Place of birth San José de la Esquina, Argentina
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 FC Kharkiv
Number 6
Youth career
Centenario
Newell's Old Boys
Belgrano
2020–2023 Unión de Santa Fe
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2026 Unión de Santa Fe 37 (1)
2026– Metalist 1925 Kharkiv 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rafael Profini (born 9 September 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ukrainian Premier League club FC Kharkiv.

A native of San José de la Esquina, Rafael Profini started his career in Centenario, had a brief stint through the Newell's youth system, and then returned to his hometown to join Belgrano.

In 2020, after passing a test, he joined Unión de Santa Fe, playing for youth squads (grassroots division). In 2023, he began playing in the reserve team, and just six months later, coach Cristian González added him to practices with the professional squad. Although he did not get official minutes that year, he was part of the substitutes' bench on several occasions and was also a starter in the team that was crowned champion of the Santa Fe Cup. All this led the club's management to sign his first contract.

In 2024, he made his long-awaited debut: on November 9, in the 1–0 home victory over Atlético Tucumán, he entered as a substition on the 36th minute in place of Claudio Corvalán. At the beginning of 2025, he was very close to going on loan to Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy in search of minutes; however, at the last minute he preferred to stay and fight at the request of the coach, who made a key decision for his career: to reconvert him into a central midfielder. It was in this place on the field where Profini surprised with his performance and ended up consolidating himself as a starter.

On 30 June 2026, Ukrainian club FC Kharkiv (recently renamed Metalist 1925) signed the young Argentine player.

References

  1. ↑ "Rafael Profini". uaf.ua. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  2. ↑ "Unión superó a Rosario Central y es el campeón de la Copa Santa Fe" [Unión defeated Rosario Central and is the Copa Santa Fe champion.]. www.unosantafe.com.ar (in Spanish). 30 November 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  3. ↑ "Rafael Profini firmó su primer contrato profesional en Unión" [Rafael Profini signed his first professional contract with Unión]. www.unosantafe.com.ar (in Spanish). 30 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  4. ↑ "El "pelotero" tatengue con Dómina, Verde y Profini" [The "Tatengue" talent pool: Dómina, Verde, and Profini]. www.ellitoral.com (in Spanish). 9 November 2024. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  5. ↑ "Profini, cada vez mejor en Unión: de casi irse a Jujuy a ser pieza clave en un momento límite" [Profini, increasingly impressive at Unión: from nearly leaving for Jujuy to becoming a key player at a critical juncture]. www.unosantafe.com.ar (in Spanish). 7 April 2025. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  6. ↑ "From academy to Europe: Rafael Profini leaves Unión in record sale". onefootball.com. 21 June 2026. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  7. ↑ "Рафаель Профіні - гравець футбольного клубу "Харків"" [Rafael Profini is a player for the football club "Kharkiv".]. fckharkiv.com (in Ukrainian). 30 June 2026. Archived from the original on 1 July 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.