Rwan Cruz

Rwan Cruz
Rwan with Santos in 2022
Personal information
Full name Rwan Philipe Rodrigues de Souza Cruz
Date of birth (2001-05-20) 20 May 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Ludogorets Razgrad
Number 12
Youth career
2014 Náutico
2015–2018 Sport Recife
2019 Figueirense
2020–2021 Flamengo-SP
2020–2021 → Santos (loan)
2022 Santos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Santos 28 (3)
2023 → Vasco da Gama (loan) 2 (0)
2023 → Ludogorets Razgrad (loan) 17 (5)
2024– Ludogorets Razgrad 33 (19)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 06:23, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

Rwan Philipe Rodrigues de Souza Cruz (born 20 May 2001), known as Rwan Seco, Rwan Cruz or just Rwan, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bulgarian club Ludogorets Razgrad.

Career

Early career

Born in Cajueiro Seco, a small neighborhood in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco,[2] Rwan began his career at a local footballing school named Garoto do Futuro before joining Náutico's youth categories. One year later, he joined Sport Recife as they offered a small funding assistance.[3]

Rwan left Sport in the end of 2018 and subsequently signed for Figueirense, but spent nine months without playing at his new side due to a registration problem.[2] He subsequently moved to Flamengo-SP, but returned to his hometown in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped his father as a bricklayer.[2][4]

Santos

In June 2020, Rwan agreed to join Santos on loan from Flamengo, being initially assigned to the under-20s.[5] However, due to the club's transfer ban, he was registered only in the following May.[6]

Rwan spent the 2021 season playing for Santos' under-20 and under-23 sides, and signed a permanent three-year deal on 16 December of that year.[7] He made his professional debut on 20 February 2022, coming on as a second-half substitute for Lucas Braga in a 3–0 Campeonato Paulista home loss against São Paulo.[8]

Rwan scored his first senior goal on 23 February 2022, netting his team's third in a 3–0 away win over Salgueiro, for the year's Copa do Brasil.[9]

Loan to Vasco da Gama

On 31 March 2023, Rwan was loaned to fellow top tier side Vasco da Gama until the end of the year, with a buyout clause.[10]

Ludogorets Razgrad

On 22 July 2023, Rwan was announced at Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad on loan for one year, with a buyout option.[11] In January 2024, he signed a permanent contract with the club, with Nonato moving in the opposite direction.

Career statistics

As of 20 December 2024[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Santos 2021 Série A 0 0 — — — 4[a] 0 4 0
2022 17 2 4 0 3 1 6[b] 1 — 30 4
2023 0 0 7 1 0 0 0 0 — 7 1
Total 17 2 11 1 3 1 6 1 4 0 41 5
Vasco da Gama (loan) 2023 Série A 2 0 — 0 0 — — 2 0
Ludogorets Razgrad (loan) 2023–24 Bulgarian First League 17 5 — 2 2 10[c] 2 0 0 29 9
Ludogorets Razgrad 2023–24 Bulgarian First League 15 9 — 3 1 2 0 1 0 21 10
2024–25 18 10 — 1 0 13 1 0 0 32 10
Total 50 24 0 0 6 4 25 3 2 0 79 29
Career total 69 25 11 1 9 4 31 4 5 0 125 34
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  3. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Europa League, four appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa Conference League

References

  1. ^ "Rwan Seco". Santos FC. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Santos: Rwan, sensação do time sub-20, quase largou o futebol e fez bico como ajudante de pedreiro" [Santos: Rwan, sensation of the under-20 team, nearly dropped football and did a side hustle as an assistant of a bricklayer] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ESPN Brasil. 3 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Antes de ser 10 do Santos, Rwan dormiu embaixo de arquibancada e foi ajudante de pedreiro" [Before being Santos' number 10, Rwan slept behind a grandstand and was an assistant of a bricklayer] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Diário do Peixe. 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. ^ "De ajudante de pedreiro à Copa SP: Rwan supera dificuldades e vira a aposta do Santos no torneio" [From an assistant of a bricklayer to the Copa SP: Rwan overcomes difficulties and becomes a bet of Santos in the tournament] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 2 January 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Promessa! Centroavante pernambucano cria da base do Sport é destaque do Santos Sub-23" [Prospect! Pernambucano centre forward raised at Sport is a spotlight at Santos under-23s] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Fora de Campo. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Após fim do transfer ban, Santos registra contrato de lateral-esquerdo na CBF" [After end of the transfer ban, Santos register contract of left-back in the CBF] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Atacante Rwan, destaque das categorias de base, é contratado em definitivo" [Forward Rwan, spotlight of the youth setup, is signed permanently] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Santos FC. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  8. ^ "São Paulo vence Santos, quebra jejum na Vila Belmiro e sobe no Paulistão" [São Paulo defeat Santos, break a taboo at the Vila Belmiro and rise in the Paulistão] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Rwan faz o primeiro gol pelo profissional do Santos e diz: "Tenho certeza que é daqui para cima"" [Rwan scores the first goal for the first team of Santos and says: "I am sure that is onwards and upwards"] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Santos FC empresta atacante Rwan Seco ao Vasco até o final de 2023" [Santos FC loan forward Rwan Seco to Vasco until the end of 2023] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Santos FC. 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Ludogorets signed with attacker from Brazil". PFC Ludogorets Razgrad. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  12. ^ Rwan Cruz at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 November 2021.