Rúben Alexandre Rocha Lima (born 3 October 1989) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back.
A product of hometown S.L. Benfica's youth system, Lisbon-born Lima was promoted to the first team for the 2007âÂÂ08 season. In January 2008 however he, alongside teammates Miguel VÃÂtor and Romeu Ribeiro, was loaned to C.D. Aves in the Segunda Liga, with the move being extended for the entirety of the following campaign.
Lima moved to Vitória de Setúbal for 2009âÂÂ10, also on loan. He made his Primeira Liga debut on 17 August 2009, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0âÂÂ0 home draw against Vitória de Guimarães. He appeared in 24 of the league's 30 games (22 starts), as the Sadinos barely avoided relegation.
After his contract with Benfica ended, Lima signed for S.C. Beira-Mar, recently returned to the top division.
In June 2011, Lima moved abroad for the first time in his career, joining HNK Hajduk Split in the Croatian Football League. He quickly became first-choice left-back at his new club, as that position had lacked in consistency ever since the departure of Ivan StriniÃÂ to FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.
Under the management of Krasimir Balakov, Lima was a first-team regular in the 2011âÂÂ12 season. He made his debut in the UEFA Europa League on 28 July 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1âÂÂ0 away loss to Stoke City in the third qualifying round.
On 24 July 2013, Lima signed a four-year contract with Hajduk Split's fierce rivals, GNK Dinamo Zagreb, for an undisclosed fee. He spent the second part of the campaign on loan at HNK Rijeka also in the Croatian top flight; additionally, he experienced economic problems at Dinamo and was demoted to their reserves.
Lima returned to Portugal and its main division on 27 January 2016, on a two-and-a-half-year deal at C.F. União. He featured rarely in his first season under LuÃÂs Norton de Matos in an eventual relegation, but was an indisputed starter in the following for the third-placed side.
From 2017 to 2025, Lima played in the top tier, representing Moreirense FC, B-SAD, F.C. Famalicão and C.F. Estrela da Amadora. He scored his first goal in the competition on 9 January 2022 aged 32, as a member of the third of those clubs in a 2âÂÂ2 away draw against S.C. Braga.
Lima earned 45 caps for Portugal at youth level. He made his debut for the under-21s on 14 October 2008, in a 1âÂÂ0 friendly home loss to Ukraine in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Hajduk Split
Dinamo Zagreb