When Raphael Dias Belloli ‘Raphinha’ signed for Barcelona, in the summer 2022, I didn’t think I was going to have such a hard and long adaptation period. Just as I did not imagine a few months ago, when he was regularly linked to other clubs, that he would be having such a spectacular season, becoming the unexpected leader of a Barcelona that shines under the leadership of Hansi Flick. “It may be the best moment of my professional career,” he says on the eve of a classic and after having scored three goals against Bayern in the Champions League.
Raphinha (Porto Alegre, 1996) has had to carry the burden of a suspicious transfer (Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, was his representative) and an excessively high price (58 million fixed plus another seven in variables). «We spend a significant amount. In the end it seemed like a reasonable price.. I think now, this season, he has taken a step forward. He also feels a little liberated. I think he has had a very complicated summer due to the usual rumor mill, the famous environment that the club has. Captain and it feels like newhe has a new energy and today he is being… I wouldn’t say the best but one of the best, no longer from Barça,” he assured. Jordi Cruyffone of those who signed him, at Movistar after his performance against Bayern.
The numbers do not lie and ensure that, regardless of the 9 goals In total, he has participated in 16 goals, also counting his seven assists, of Barça’s 43 total (37%). But the feelings accompany them and they see a different footballer after the arrival of Flick, undergoing a radical positive change. «I don’t know if anything has changed. Suddenly my position on the field… but the desire I had to succeed with this shirt, the work I have always done since I arrived… I was sure that sooner or later this moment would come because of the work I do. If I have anything to say that has changed at this time I would say that the mindset».
The gaucho refers to the physical work he does at home, where a gym has been installed and he carries out marathon preparation and prevention sessions, but also the mental work. Work with a psychologist which helps him manage the pressure that exists in a club like Barcelona. «I do psychological work because I have seen how important it is. Everyone should do it because it helps a lot. If you don’t take care of yourself, football destroys you. It is very easy to go into depression and leave everything,” he confesses after acknowledging that it was difficult for him to adapt after leaving Leeds and that “at some points I thought about leaving.”
His support has been found in his two most loyal fans. Natalia Rodrigues and Gaelthe son of both and to whom he dedicates all his goals and triumphs. His family supported him this summer when his name was strongly suggested to be part of an operation with English or Saudi clubs that would allow the arrival of Nico Williams. His ten goals and 13 assists were insufficient for the Catalan club, which was looking for a strong reinforcement for the left wing, Raphinha’s position since the emergence of Lamine Yamal on the right. «It is annoying to see these stories, even if it is normal. Every day there is something, I go here or there. It ends up annoying, of course, but my head has always been here. I have received many offers“But the best thing for me is being at Barça,” he says, although he made it clear that it bothered him this summer to see his number next to Nico Williams’ name on the Barcelona shirt. «Seeing a photo like this did not sit well with me. It was disrespectful. People do what they want, they put the number they want on the shirts they buy, the name they want, but they should respect all the players of the club who try to give their best,” he criticized in the preview of the match against the Bayern, in which he scored a hat trick in his game one hundred as a Barcelona player and wearing the captain’s armband. Raphinha, the leader that no one expected and who has become the great threat for Real Madrid.
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