On the day when Barca announced that he would no longer continue to lead the team, coach Xavi Hernandez received a message from one of the players who had criticized him the most: Raphinha. The former star of Leeds wrote: “Teacher, thank you for giving me the opportunity to play football for Barca. Sorry if sometimes your personality makes you awkward.”
Xavi cherished this gesture from an ambitious player who often complained during his time in Blaugrana because he was not playing much: Raphinha only kicked 90 minutes in 7 out of 60 matches.
- Comment Espanyol vs Barca, 02:30 am tomorrow morning (May 16)
“It was not a criticism of Xavi. In my heart, I knew I would be replaced. I tried to do everything for 60 minutes, and nothing went smoothly. And when I played well, I was still drawn as usual,” Raphinha shared.
Raphinha’s desire to play “collide” with Xavi’s will. The personality of the 28 -year -old player – according to his own words – is sometimes very difficult to control. He always wants more in a Barca team to gradually go down, both in terms of style and spirit.
In the first season at the Camp Nou, Raphinha and the team won the La Liga championship, and he personally closed the season with 10 goals and 12 assists after 50 matches. “Next season, I want to score 20 goals and have 20 assists,” he once confessed to his relatives. Raphinha believes in its ability as well as the team’s arrangement. With Ousmane Dembele moving to PSG, he will no longer have to compete in his favorite position in the right corridor.
However, Xavi’s Barca has fallen into a crisis in both gameplay and spirit. And even if Raphinha achieved a better personal form, he still could not find satisfaction: End the season with 10 goals and 13 assists in just 37 matches. “I should have achieved better results if I played more,” Raphinha complained.
In that context, plus the leadership of the Nico Williams publicly, Raphinha began to feel insecure and considered leaving Barca. It was at that time, Deco contacted Hansi Flick. The first decision of the German strategist is to “regenerate” Raphinha in the position of the left wing striker – inversely as the forte he used to stick throughout his career: the right corridor.
If in the past, Dembele was the number one choice of Xavi on the right, then after the Euro in Germany, the one who was favored by the club was Lamine Yamal. However, this time Raphinha did not compete with the teen superstar. “Raphinha is very precious. He saw a lot of things about himself and wanted to help him,” a person in the internal said.
In fact, this sentiment has surpassed the professional framework. “When I needed the most, he sent me a message. It was very long and personal. It helped me a lot. He is a captain, an elder, an important character. It is important that he cares about me,” Yamal said.
Raphinha takes care of Yamal in the dressing room, and Flick takes care of Raphinha on the pitch. There is an interesting thing: both Raphinha and Flick admitted that between two people had never had a special or encouraging conversation at the beginning of the season. Flick simply analyzed and said that the best way to promote Raphinha’s ability is for him to play near the Robert Lewandowski, while Alejandro Balde is wing on the left wing.
Raphinha also understood that his football would shine under the tactical discipline of the German teacher. The results are all clear. Under the guidance of Flick, Raphinha has accomplished personal goals: reaching 20 goals and 20 assists. Even overcome: After 54 matches this season, Raphinha has scored 34 goals and has 25 assists. He won the King’s Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and was very close to the title of La Liga.
From the right to the left wing, from the silent place to the leader position in the dressing room, Raphinha has surpassed himself. In less than a year, Raphinha, from the application, have shifted to negotiation to extend the contract. According to Mundo Deportivo, Deco is planning to extend with Raphinha for another two years, ie up to 2029 – a happy ending for Barca’s bright star this season.
