Ronielson da Silva Barbosa

Ronielson da Silva Barbosa (born 11 May 1995), commonly known as Rony, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Santos. Mainly a forward, he can also play as a winger.

Club career Remo Born in Vila Quadros, the rural part of the city of Magalhães Barata, in the state of Pará, Rony began his career with the youth sides of Remo. Released by the club in 2013, his contract was still registered in the BID (CBF's registration system), which led to the club recalling him to play in the 2014 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior; at that time, he was working as a motorcycle courier.

Rony was promoted to the first team of Remo after the Copinha, and made his senior debut on 26 March 2024; after coming on as a substitute for Leandrão, he scored the equalizer in a 1–1 Campeonato Paraense home draw against São Francisco-PA. He would feature regularly in the year, scoring two further goals in the 2014 Campeonato Paraense as the club lifted the trophy.

Cruzeiro and loan to Náutico On 22 April 2015, Rony moved to Cruzeiro on a three-year contract, for a rumoured fee of R$ 321,000. He only featured for the under-20 side, before being loaned out to Náutico on 7 January 2016.

Rony established himself as a first-choice at Timbu, and scored 11 goals in the 2016 Série B.

Albirex Niigata On 9 January 2017, Albirex Niigata announced that they had signed Rony from Cruzeiro, for a fee of around R$ 4 million. He made his debut abroad on 25 February, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and scored his first goal on 18 March, in a draw at Yokohama F. Marinos for the same scoreline.

Contract disputes with Cruzeiro On 11 January 2018, Rony was announced at Botafogo, after agreeing to a two-year deal. Three days later, Albirex notified Cruzeiro demanding the return of Rony or the transfer of a US$ 10 million fee on compensation; the deal later collapsed, and he terminated his contract with Cruzeiro on 2 April.

In April 2018, Rony negotiated with Corinthians, but Albirex notified the player of abandonment and the deal also collapsed. He was only given clearance by FIFA to negotiate in May.

Athletico Paranaense On 31 August 2018, after spending nearly two months training at the club, Atlético Paranaense received FIFA clearance to sign Rony. He made his club debut two days later, replacing Marcinho and scoring his team's second in a 2–0 home win over Bahia.

Rony established himself as a starter for Furacão during the 2019 campaign, heping the club to win their first-ever Copa do Brasil title. On 19 January 2020, after refusing a renewal offer, he was separated from the first team squad.

Palmeiras

On 21 February 2020, Rony joined Palmeiras on a deal until 2024. He made his debut for the club eight days later, replacing Luiz Adriano in a 0–0 Campeonato Paulista away draw against Santos.

Rony only scored his first goal for Verdão on 1 October 2020, netting the club's fifth in a 5–0 home routing of Bolívar, in the 2020 Copa Libertadores. He was an important unit in the club's title in the competition, scoring a further four goals and providing eight assists (including one to Breno Lopes' goal in the final against Santos).

On 26 June 2021, already established as a starter, Rony renewed his contract with Palmeiras for a further year. In April 2022, after scoring against Emelec, he reached 13 goals for the club in the Libertadores, becoming their top scorer in the competition.

On 12 October 2022, Rony renewed his link with Palmeiras until 2026; he also received a pay rise.

Atlético Mineiro On 14 February 2025, Rony joined Atlético Mineiro on a deal running until December 2027. In July, he went to court against the club to rescind his link after alleging unpaid wages, but withdrew the action shortly after, after reaching an agreement with the club.

Santos On 30 January 2026, Rony joined Santos on a three-year contract for a rumoured fee of € 3 million. He became the fourth former Palmeiras player to join the club within a year, joining former teammates Zé Rafael, Mayke and Gabriel Menino.

Rony made his club debut on 31 January 2026, replacing Miguel Terceros in the first half of a 2–0 away loss to São Paulo, and scored his first goal eight days later, netting the winner in a 2–1 away success over Noroeste.

International career On 3 March 2023, Rony was called for the first time for the Brazil national team by interim head coach Ramon Menezes to play in a friendly match against Morocco on 25 March 2023. He made his full international debut on 25 March, starting in the 2–1 loss at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, Algeria.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

2014

2015

2016 Série B

2017 J1 League

2018

2019

2020

2020

2021

2022

2023

Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2021, 2023