Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona have gone to new heights, having appeared stagnant in the years since Lionel Messi’s exit. The German head coach has been a revelation, having made a number of existing players significantly better with his management – and one of them has been Raphinha.
Raphinha had struggled since his 2022 move from Leeds United, but he has been sensational since Flick’s arrival. In fact, he may not have been at Barcelona had the former Bayern Munich and Germany manager not came in, as he revealed during an interview with ESPN Brazil (via MD).
“Obviously I thought about leaving; I thought it might be time to leave, but then I spoke to the coach, first on the phone and then at the beginning of pre-season, he managed to convince me to stay. And thank goodness he convinced me.
“The offer we received from Saudi Arabia made me very hesitant. It would have solved my personal life, my parents’, my son’s and many people’s. I’ve been in football since I was 15 years old, I’ve been through good and bad things everywhere, and there came a time when I thought it was time to take care of myself and my family.”
Raphinha has had a tough 2025-26 season so far
Raphinha registered 34 goals and 22 assists last season, but he has not started the current campaign with as much form. He has three goals and two assists in seven appearances, but injury has meant that Barcelona have not been able to count upon him in recent weeks. However, he has time to play himself back into form when he returns, which will happen sooner rather than later.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2F24%2F51%2Ferigar.jpg?w=360&resize=360,180&ssl=1 "From Catalonia to Madrid? Atletico ‘eyeing’ Barca defender")
