“I dreamed about nights like this since the moment I joined this club,” said Raphinha in the mixed zone of Barcelona’s temporary home, the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The Brazilian had just captained Barca to a 4-1 win against Bayern Munich with surely the best performance of his career: scoring a hat-trick, receiving a man of the match award and leaving the pitch to a standing ovation with 15 minutes to go.
Nobody at Barca would have dreamed of that kind of showing from the 27-year-old a few months ago.
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Raphinha is one of a number of players who have enjoyed a huge leap forward under coach Hansi Flick. Robert Lewandowski has scored 15 goals in 13 games this season and is back to his best. Pedri has gone from three injury-prone seasons to the kind of midfielder who dominates games for fun. Even Inigo Martinez has gone from being a fringe player to a starting centre-back.
But Raphinha’s transformation is the most impressive of all. For the last two summers, he was one of the players who Barca were willing to listen to offers for. Now, he is thriving as a versatile forward in Flick’s system.
Raphinha has played either as a No 10 behind Lewandowski or as a left-winger this season. Those roles would have seemed an odd fit when he joined from Leeds United in 2021, but they have helped him register 17 goal involvements (nine goals, eight assists) in 13 games this term. The below graphic shows just how pivotal he was to Barca’s attack against Bayern, with the most progressive carries and the most involvements in attacking sequences.
“The confidence I feel from the manager is very important to explain my good form,” Raphinha said before the game. “But I’ve also understood that if I wanted to play for this club, I had to adapt to different positions.”
That seemed to reference Lamine Yamal’s breakout 2023-24 season. The teenager’s emergence posed a challenge for Raphinha given he claimed the Brazilian’s starting spot as a right-winger.
After leading Spain to success at the European Championship in the summer, nobody could question Yamal’s fundamental role at Barca. Raphinha quickly processed that and understood he had to perform in new roles he had not previously explored.
Many of his traits mean he fits Flick’s philosophy like a glove. His intense high-pressing allows other players such as Lewandowski to take a backseat in that department. He is versatile and dynamic, with the technical ability to link up well with his team-mates.
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But the biggest difference is his confidence — which could be seen in every one of the goals he scored against Bayern.
A minute into the game, Raphinha trusted himself enough to round goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, with all the potential embarrassment a miss could have created, before slotting into an empty net.
For UK viewers:
Barcelona lead within a minute against Bayern Munich through Raphinha 🤯
What a season he’s having 👏
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Z7XIFPjgy6
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 23, 2024
For US viewers:
AN ELECTRIC START! ⚡️
Raphinha strikes for Barcelona less than a minute into the game 💥 pic.twitter.com/p8cCf64RF5
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 23, 2024
His second was the kind a player only scores when they are in full flow. He cut inside onto his weaker right foot on the edge of the box, before curling a shot home between the legs of defender Dayot Upamecano into the only part of the net that Neur wouldn’t be able to reach.
And his third and final effort saw him take down an excellent ball from Yamal on his chest, hold off two defenders and finish with his left foot — with nobody at the Lluis Companys doubting he would score again at that point.
Club sources — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — point to a couple of changes for Raphinha from the last two seasons that have filled him with this confidence.
They say he now feels liberated knowing he has a decent chance to end games and show his full potential. In the past, Raphinha was frustrated that he was usually the first to be substituted in the second half of games, regardless of his performance. He has played the full 90 minutes in eight of 10 La Liga games this season — compared to just four of 28 possible matches the last.
Another big change has been the reshaping of Barca’s physical training department, overseen by sporting director Deco. Raphinha previously felt his standards were not met in this department, leading to him hiring a personal physical trainer and physiotherapist outside the club. He has now stopped working with external professionals after being so impressed by the new-look personnel, led by former Chelsea and Juventus physiotherapist Julio Tous.
Raphinha has found his place on the pitch and in the dressing room. Before the start of the season, he was the players’ most popular choice to become one of the team captains after former skipper Sergi Roberto’s exit. That news surprised fans, but it has not taken long for them to see how much of a role model Raphinha is for this squad.
24 – Barcelona’s starting XI this evening had an average age of 24 years and 185 days; the youngest ever for a side to beat Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League match. Masia. pic.twitter.com/Zq29SJOuAV
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 23, 2024
In a starting XI that included wise heads such as Lewandowski (36 years old), Martinez (31) and Raphinha himself, Barcelona’s average age was 24 years and 185 days. There is plenty of youth in Flick’s team, but this new generation needs veterans to look up to and connect with.
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Raphinha is exactly that figure, with close relationships in the dressing room to youngsters Yamal, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez and Marc Casado.
“It’s time to forget about the past and think more about the present we have,” the Brazilian said in the mixed zone.
“This is a young team but filled with talent and great players. The dressing room is ready to keep going. I am just super happy to be here.”
Last night, Barca fans showed him the feeling is finally mutual.
(Top photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
