From Vanuatu champions to OFC history: Roberson Felipe and Willian Medina leave their mark on Galaxy FC

Galaxy FC have said farewell to Brazilian duo Roberson Felipe dos Santos Ribeiro and Willian dos Santos Medina, bringing to an end a highly successful period in Vanuatu in which the pair became central figures in one of the club’s strongest seasons in recent years. The two players have now returned to Brazil following Galaxy’s domestic success and memorable run to the semi-finals of the 2026 OFC Men’s Champions League.

The Port Vila club confirmed their departures with an emotional message thanking both Brazilians for their contribution on and off the field. Galaxy described Roberson as a leader who had earned the respect of the team and wider community, highlighting his command of Bislama and his role as captain, while Medina was remembered for the extraordinary goalscoring form that made him one of the major figures of the 2026 season.

Their impact was already evident before Galaxy travelled to Fiji for the OFC Champions League. The club retained the VFF Champions League title after an exceptional domestic campaign in which they scored 30 goals without conceding. Medina finished as the competition’s leading scorer with 16 goals, including hat-tricks in both the semi-final against Police FC and the 4-0 final victory over Classic FC. Roberson added four goals of his own and was named the best player of the final.

It was on the continental stage, however, that Medina produced the performances that will remain part of OFC Champions League history. He opened Galaxy’s campaign with a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory over hosts Rewa, repeated the achievement as the Vanuatu champions defeated Lae City 3-1 and then scored another three against Tupapa Maraerenga in a 7-1 win. The sequence made him the first player in the 39-year history of the competition to score hat-tricks in three consecutive matches.

Galaxy consequently finished the group stage with a perfect nine points, scoring 14 goals in three matches, and entered the semi-finals as one of the tournament’s most impressive teams. Roberson was an important part of that success from midfield, providing some of the service behind Medina’s extraordinary scoring run. Against Lae City, for example, the Brazilians combined twice in quick succession as Medina completed his second hat-trick of the tournament.

Their continental campaign eventually ended in one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament. Galaxy faced Solomon Islands champions Central Coast in the semi-final and fell two goals behind through Rafa Lea’i before Medina responded with two second-half goals to force extra time. Lea’i eventually completed his own hat-trick in the 117th minute to give Central Coast a 3-2 victory, ending Galaxy’s hopes of becoming the first Vanuatu club to reach the OFC Champions League final.

Despite the elimination, Medina left Fiji with both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball after scoring 11 goals in only four matches. His nine goals during the group stage were followed by the two against Central Coast, leaving him comfortably ahead of the competition’s other leading scorers. The OFC also identified his partnership with Roberson as one of the features of Galaxy’s run to the last four.

For Roberson, the connection with Galaxy goes deeper than the 2026 campaign. The Brazilian was already part of the club’s breakthrough OFC Champions League appearance in 2020, when Galaxy defeated defending champions Hienghène Sport 4-1 and drew 2-2 with New Zealand side Eastern Suburbs. Galaxy reached the quarter-finals on that occasion, but the competition was suspended and eventually abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His return years later therefore allowed him to become part of another significant chapter in the club’s continental history.

That longer relationship also helps explain the tone of Galaxy’s farewell. Roberson wrote that he was leaving after “seven months of great learning”, thanking club president Andrew Leong for once again believing in his work as well as the executives, coaches, players and supporters who welcomed him. His message reflected a spell that went beyond results, while Galaxy themselves stressed the relationship both Brazilians developed with the club and the wider Vanuatu football community.

For Medina, the numbers provide an unusually clear measure of his impact: 16 goals during Galaxy’s VFF Champions League campaign followed by another 11 at Oceania’s premier club competition. For Roberson, the legacy is different but equally significant — captaincy, midfield influence, domestic success and a connection with Galaxy spanning two separate eras of the club’s continental development.

Galaxy ultimately fell one match short of the OFC Champions League final, but the 2026 campaign reinforced the club’s position among the strongest sides outside New Zealand in Oceania. Roberson and Medina leave Vanuatu having played major roles in that journey: one as the captain and midfield leader, the other as a goalscorer whose extraordinary run placed his name permanently in the competition’s record books. For Galaxy FC, their departure closes much more than a short chapter involving two foreign players; it marks the end of a Brazilian partnership that became an important part of the club’s recent history.