.jpg) Rafia in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 April 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Kalaat es Senam, Tunisia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lecce | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2009 | Bron Terraillon | ||
| 2009–2010 | Bron Grand Lyon | ||
| 2010–2016 | Lyon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | Lyon B | 26 | (5) |
| 2019–2023 | Juventus | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | → Juventus U23 (res.) | 43 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | → Standard Liège (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Cremonese (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Juventus Next Gen (res.) | 14 | (2) |
| 2023 | Pescara | 12 | (0) |
| 2023– | Lecce | 17 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | France U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2016 | France U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019– | Tunisia | 27 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:06, 18 January 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:30, 20 January 2024 (UTC) | |||
Hamza Rafia (Arabic: حمزة رفيعة; born 2 April 1999) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Italian Serie A club Lecce and the Tunisia national team.
Born in Tunisia, Rafia initially represented France at youth level, before switching allegiance to his native country, making his senior debut for Tunisia in 2019.
Born on 22 April 1999 in Kalaat es Senam, Tunisia,[2] Rafia moved to France as a child and played in the youth sectors of Bron Terraillon, Bron Grand Lyon, and Lyon.[3]
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.[3] He made his debut on 28 May 2016,[2] during the 2015–16 season, in a 4–3 home defeat to Moulins Yzeure Foot.[4] His first goal for Lyon B came during the 2018–19 season, on 18 August 2018, helping his side win 5–2 against Monaco B.[5] Rafia scored five goals in 18 league games throughout the season.[2] In four seasons, he scored five goals in 26 games.[2]
On 16 July 2019, Rafia joined Juventus on a three-year contract,[3] for a fee of €400,000, which can reach €5 million in add-ons, and 20% on his future sale.[6] 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.[7]
On 18 December, Rafia scored his first goal for Juventus U23 in a 2–1 away victory over Piacenza, in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia Serie C.[8] He helped Juventus U23 win the tournament, scoring against Ternana in the final, which ended 2–1.[9] During the 2019–20 season, Rafia played 20 games in the league, two in the promotion play-offs,[2] and scored three goals and made three assists in the Coppa Italia Serie C.[9] On 29 November 2020, Rafia scored his first goal in Serie C in a 2–1 away loss against Olbia.[10]
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.[9]
On 18 August 2021, Rafia moved to Belgian side Standard Liège on loan.[11]
On 31 January 2022, Rafia moved to Serie B side Cremonese.[12]
On 27 January 2023, Rafia signed a 2.5-year contract with Serie C club Pescara.[13]
On 18 July 2023, Rafia signed a three-year contract with Serie A club Lecce.[14] He made his top-tier debut in their season opener against Lazio on 20 August 2023.
Rafia is an attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a right winger.[3]
Rafia represented France at under-17 and under-18 levels, but decided to represent Tunisia at senior level.[3] He made his senior debut on 6 September 2019, coming off the bench in a 1–0 friendly win over Mauritania.[15]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 September 2023 | 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  Egypt |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 17 November 2023 | Hammadi Agrebi Stadium, Tunis, Tunisia |  São Tomé and Príncipe |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 20 January 2024 | Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo, Ivory Coast |  Mali |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon B | 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[b] | 3 | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie C | 23 | 2 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Serie C | 13 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |||
| Total | 55 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 65 | 7 | ||
| Juventus | 2020–21 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Standard Liège (loan) | 2021–22 | Division A | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| Cremonese (loan) | 2021–22 | Serie B | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Pescara | 2022–23 | Serie C | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[d] | 1 | 18 | 1 |
| Lecce | 2023–24 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 118 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 135 | 14 | ||
Juventus U23
Juventus
