One of the best unseen moments of this seasonâs Champions League happened in the immediate aftermath of Barcelona beating Bayern MĂŒnchen 4-1 in October.
Hat trick-hero Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were standing behind the North Goal end of the Estadi OlĂmpic LluĂs Companys, basking in the home fansâ wild acclaim for the biggest, most thrilling victory of Barcelonaâs recent European seasons. As they waved back to the CulĂ©s and punched fists high in the air to acknowledge a shared moment of glory, Raphinha turned to his Polish team-mate and exclaimed, âDammit⊠Look! We lost the possession stats!â
He was genuinely annoyed, despite the context making his irritation seem impossible to comprehend. Barça had been pushed around by Bayern in their previous five meetings, not just beaten every time but losing by an embarrassing aggregate scoreline of 19-2. This victory, therefore, was not simply cathartic â it was a massive boost to morale and momentum, eventually spurring them on to finish second in the new league phase. Add in a first-ever Champions League treble for the Brazilian and surely mere ball-possession statistics ought to have been redundant.
Not to Raphinha. When we meet for a long, friendly chat at Barcelonaâs training ground, heâs initially surprised to discover I know this detail. My producer, Tim, had been filming right next to the two men behind the goalmouth when he overheard Raphinhaâs startled and disappointed reaction to the numbers on the screen above their heads. Either way, Barçaâs captain that night smiles sheepishly now, accepting that we stumbled upon an important facet of his character.
âLosing? I canât even explain how much I hate it,â he says. âI donât like losing on the pitch, I donât like losing in my house. If Iâm playing a card or a board game with my friends, I hate to lose. I get really angry. Obviously, defeat is natural in football â it happens. But Iâm someone who has difficulty accepting that.
âI think me complaining to Robert that weâd lost the possession stats simply underlines how, often, the result doesnât reflect how a match went. Against Bayern, it was very balanced. The result could have been 2-1 or 1-0. Even so, defeating them, one of the best clubs in the world, in my 100th match for Barcelona, was amazing. Only those who experienced that match really know what we felt. So special.â
And that special moment didnât arrive by magic. The Porto Alegre-born 28-year-old is currently revelling in the most decisive, entertaining phase of his career by far. By the end of the league phase, he was, statistically, the Champions Leagueâs most valuable player: eight goals and five assists. At the time of writing, he is also the author of 24 goals and 15 assists across all competitions this term (already an all-time personal best).
Two other facts count heavily in this performance appraisal. Firstly, his team-mates elected him to join Barcelonaâs captaincy group last summer and, secondly, for neutrals who simply love the sport, watching Raphinha in action has become joyful. Whether he plays down the left, the right or in Barcelonaâs fabled No10 position, he oozes gusto, inventiveness, creativity, and he has formed exceptional relationships with both the veteran Lewandowski and the teenage genius that is Lamine Yamal.
âYou could say Iâm living the best moment of my career because I have my best stats. But I began this season with a different kind of motivation thanks to the captaincy thing. Honestly, if you asked me last season if that was something I was expecting, Iâd have said, âNo!â
âThatâs because of the moment Iâd been experiencing: I was not confident, and I wasnât consistent. So, it was far from my expectations â I didnât see myself as one of Barcelonaâs captains. This season, my confidence changed, my mindset changed, and the fact that I donât accept losing might help me to display leadership on and off the pitch.
âI have always been a fighter. Thatâs one of my strengths. And the manager gives me a lot of confidence, on and off the pitch. The fact that everyone accepted me as a captain was really important to help me understand my role in the dressing room and on the pitch. Whenever someone needs something, Iâm willing to help. Moreover, confidence is important for any professional, not just footballers. When youâre very confident, your way of working is different. Things happen naturally.â
Raphinha fits into a large category of South American players for whom early life proved brutally arduous, and likewise the start of their playing careers. Even the humblest dreams often seemed out of reach. Hence the fierce combative spirit etched deep into his character.
He and his family were often too poor for him to afford the bus ticket to training, or the entry fee which his junior side were required to produce in order to play in local tournaments. None of that makes him unique. But it did condition how tenacious and resourceful he became, especially given that he was often turned down because of his physique.
âEventually, this all gave me more will to fight for what I wanted, but there were some tournaments I didnât play in because I didnât have the money to pay an entry fee. And I was very small, very thin, meaning I was rejected many times in the youth categories. They said I didnât have the strength or the size to be able to compete.
âThat simply gave me the hunger to fight and to prove that the size or strength of a person donât attest to their ability to play football. I believe that intelligence and skills need to be taken into consideration. Leo Messi is small and, in my opinion, he is the best of all time. Neymar was slender when he was playing at Santos and he did what he did, then he came to Barcelona and he was still skinny but did everything he did here. So, I think people shouldnât prioritise strength and size over a playerâs skills and intelligence. Anyway, I struggled a lot with that when I was a kid, meaning I had to battle and fight for my dreams.â
Unfortunately, this sport we cherish doesnât always show its friendly face, even to the most doughty or diligent. Far from it. So, when Raphinha first joined Barcelona from Leeds United in 2022, he found the experience so tough that it very nearly forced him to accept defeat â the concept he hates the most â and to throw his hands up in surrender.
Not long after that hat-trick against Bayern, Raphinha admitted to Catalan radio station RAC1 that, after training, he had often gone home to his wife either in tears or doubting whether he had any future at the club. He called football a sport which could âdestroy youâ, and admitted that on many mornings he awoke without the will to go and train. His upset wife, he explained, âdidnât really know how to help meâ. Naturally, he was tempted to give up.
Itâs Raphinha himself who deserves the vast majority of the credit for taking that situation, reversing it, and rising to become arguably Barcelonaâs most important footballer this season. The way he tells it to us, however, he didnât achieve all that on his own. Sports psychology played a huge role, for a start.
âWhen you change teams â be it as a player, coach or in another role â adapting is something youâve just got to get through,â he says. âAdapting to new team-mates, your new coach and the way of playing in a team thatâs new to you. Thatâs natural in football, and in the world in general. When you move locations in any profession, youâve got to adapt to your new company.
âThe difference in football is that people expect results really quickly. It may or may not happen. In general, people need to bed in, to keep calm and work hard because, with work, you can adapt a lot quicker. Fortunately, Iâve had a lot of help from my team-mates, the coaching staff, the coach, the board and the president. When I arrived, though, I wasnât working with a psychologist. Later, due to the difficulties I went through, I ended up looking for a professional to get help, to understand what I was feeling. And that was very important.
âGetting help from a specialised psychology professional is always helpful. Itâs important to understand ourselves, our feelings, what weâre dealing with, everything we can do to adapt faster. I think itâs important not only for our work but for all professionals. It can help all of us understand problems we had in the past which we end up blocking for some reason. A psychologist can help us understand and heal traumas from our childhood and bring coping ideas for problems in the present and future. Itâs fundamental to understand ourselves. But itâs difficult.â
A contributory explanation for Raphinhaâs determination to triumph at Barcelona reverberates back to his youth, when he was transfixed not only by the success of Ronaldinho but the way in which his fellow Brazilian was adored at the Camp Nou.
âTo be honest, I really admired him as a person. In every game, he did something different. When I was young, weâd all be waiting for Barcelona to play to see what Ronaldinho would do in the game. Heâd always surprise us with something special. Thatâs how it was, and he never disappointed us. He always did something magical. I guess it was much better for those in the stadium, but for us watching on TV it was spectacular. Back then, I didnât imagine playing here. It was really distant for me.â
That distant dream inched a little closer when, thanks to his dadâs musical skills, he was brought along to one of Ronaldinhoâs birthday celebrations. Raphinha, the little kid, couldnât believe he was in the presence of the great man. And even now, as a high-profile professional, heâs still struck by the fact that he met his hero. It almost feels like an imagined memory â but for one thing.
âWell, I was really young, and I donât remember an awful lot about it except I know I was there because I got a photo with him! Music and football in Brazil have always been associated with one another. I donât know if this applies abroad, I reckon so, but football without music just doesnât work. My parents were there, as was my younger brother, and many other children were also around that day. But I got that photo taken with Ronaldinho that day.â
When itâs time to wrap up the interview, I close by asking him one of those questions which so many players and coaches like to dodge. Most of them dedicate every single iota of their energy and determination towards winning big trophies, but if you ask them whether they can envisage it happening, many shy away from the idea â as if answering honestly might somehow jinx it all.
Not the case with Barçaâs No11 when I press him on club footballâs grandest prize.
âYes, I see myself winning the Champions League,â he says, without hesitation. âI donât know when, but I see myself winning it. I feel that I will, so Iâll fight to achieve it. I have a mental image of me being there, celebrating with the trophy. Itâs a dream of mine, and dreams are meant to come true. So, I envisage myself lifting that trophy, celebrating with fans and team-mates, and adding another major title to this clubâs history.â
Whether, on that imagined night, heâll still be complaining if his team have lost the possession stats⊠well, I think you know the answer.
One of the best unseen moments of this seasonâs Champions League happened in the immediate aftermath of Barcelona beating Bayern MĂŒnchen 4-1 in October.
Hat trick-hero Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were standing behind the North Goal end of the Estadi OlĂmpic LluĂs Companys, basking in the home fansâ wild acclaim for the biggest, most thrilling victory of Barcelonaâs recent European seasons. As they waved back to the CulĂ©s and punched fists high in the air to acknowledge a shared moment of glory, Raphinha turned to his Polish team-mate and exclaimed, âDammit⊠Look! We lost the possession stats!â
He was genuinely annoyed, despite the context making his irritation seem impossible to comprehend. Barça had been pushed around by Bayern in their previous five meetings, not just beaten every time but losing by an embarrassing aggregate scoreline of 19-2. This victory, therefore, was not simply cathartic â it was a massive boost to morale and momentum, eventually spurring them on to finish second in the new league phase. Add in a first-ever Champions League treble for the Brazilian and surely mere ball-possession statistics ought to have been redundant.
Not to Raphinha. When we meet for a long, friendly chat at Barcelonaâs training ground, heâs initially surprised to discover I know this detail. My producer, Tim, had been filming right next to the two men behind the goalmouth when he overheard Raphinhaâs startled and disappointed reaction to the numbers on the screen above their heads. Either way, Barçaâs captain that night smiles sheepishly now, accepting that we stumbled upon an important facet of his character.
âLosing? I canât even explain how much I hate it,â he says. âI donât like losing on the pitch, I donât like losing in my house. If Iâm playing a card or a board game with my friends, I hate to lose. I get really angry. Obviously, defeat is natural in football â it happens. But Iâm someone who has difficulty accepting that.
âI think me complaining to Robert that weâd lost the possession stats simply underlines how, often, the result doesnât reflect how a match went. Against Bayern, it was very balanced. The result could have been 2-1 or 1-0. Even so, defeating them, one of the best clubs in the world, in my 100th match for Barcelona, was amazing. Only those who experienced that match really know what we felt. So special.â
And that special moment didnât arrive by magic. The Porto Alegre-born 28-year-old is currently revelling in the most decisive, entertaining phase of his career by far. By the end of the league phase, he was, statistically, the Champions Leagueâs most valuable player: eight goals and five assists. At the time of writing, he is also the author of 24 goals and 15 assists across all competitions this term (already an all-time personal best).
Two other facts count heavily in this performance appraisal. Firstly, his team-mates elected him to join Barcelonaâs captaincy group last summer and, secondly, for neutrals who simply love the sport, watching Raphinha in action has become joyful. Whether he plays down the left, the right or in Barcelonaâs fabled No10 position, he oozes gusto, inventiveness, creativity, and he has formed exceptional relationships with both the veteran Lewandowski and the teenage genius that is Lamine Yamal.
âYou could say Iâm living the best moment of my career because I have my best stats. But I began this season with a different kind of motivation thanks to the captaincy thing. Honestly, if you asked me last season if that was something I was expecting, Iâd have said, âNo!â
âThatâs because of the moment Iâd been experiencing: I was not confident, and I wasnât consistent. So, it was far from my expectations â I didnât see myself as one of Barcelonaâs captains. This season, my confidence changed, my mindset changed, and the fact that I donât accept losing might help me to display leadership on and off the pitch.
âI have always been a fighter. Thatâs one of my strengths. And the manager gives me a lot of confidence, on and off the pitch. The fact that everyone accepted me as a captain was really important to help me understand my role in the dressing room and on the pitch. Whenever someone needs something, Iâm willing to help. Moreover, confidence is important for any professional, not just footballers. When youâre very confident, your way of working is different. Things happen naturally.â
Raphinha fits into a large category of South American players for whom early life proved brutally arduous, and likewise the start of their playing careers. Even the humblest dreams often seemed out of reach. Hence the fierce combative spirit etched deep into his character.
He and his family were often too poor for him to afford the bus ticket to training, or the entry fee which his junior side were required to produce in order to play in local tournaments. None of that makes him unique. But it did condition how tenacious and resourceful he became, especially given that he was often turned down because of his physique.
âEventually, this all gave me more will to fight for what I wanted, but there were some tournaments I didnât play in because I didnât have the money to pay an entry fee. And I was very small, very thin, meaning I was rejected many times in the youth categories. They said I didnât have the strength or the size to be able to compete.
âThat simply gave me the hunger to fight and to prove that the size or strength of a person donât attest to their ability to play football. I believe that intelligence and skills need to be taken into consideration. Leo Messi is small and, in my opinion, he is the best of all time. Neymar was slender when he was playing at Santos and he did what he did, then he came to Barcelona and he was still skinny but did everything he did here. So, I think people shouldnât prioritise strength and size over a playerâs skills and intelligence. Anyway, I struggled a lot with that when I was a kid, meaning I had to battle and fight for my dreams.â
Unfortunately, this sport we cherish doesnât always show its friendly face, even to the most doughty or diligent. Far from it. So, when Raphinha first joined Barcelona from Leeds United in 2022, he found the experience so tough that it very nearly forced him to accept defeat â the concept he hates the most â and to throw his hands up in surrender.
Not long after that hat-trick against Bayern, Raphinha admitted to Catalan radio station RAC1 that, after training, he had often gone home to his wife either in tears or doubting whether he had any future at the club. He called football a sport which could âdestroy youâ, and admitted that on many mornings he awoke without the will to go and train. His upset wife, he explained, âdidnât really know how to help meâ. Naturally, he was tempted to give up.
Itâs Raphinha himself who deserves the vast majority of the credit for taking that situation, reversing it, and rising to become arguably Barcelonaâs most important footballer this season. The way he tells it to us, however, he didnât achieve all that on his own. Sports psychology played a huge role, for a start.
âWhen you change teams â be it as a player, coach or in another role â adapting is something youâve just got to get through,â he says. âAdapting to new team-mates, your new coach and the way of playing in a team thatâs new to you. Thatâs natural in football, and in the world in general. When you move locations in any profession, youâve got to adapt to your new company.
âThe difference in football is that people expect results really quickly. It may or may not happen. In general, people need to bed in, to keep calm and work hard because, with work, you can adapt a lot quicker. Fortunately, Iâve had a lot of help from my team-mates, the coaching staff, the coach, the board and the president. When I arrived, though, I wasnât working with a psychologist. Later, due to the difficulties I went through, I ended up looking for a professional to get help, to understand what I was feeling. And that was very important.
âGetting help from a specialised psychology professional is always helpful. Itâs important to understand ourselves, our feelings, what weâre dealing with, everything we can do to adapt faster. I think itâs important not only for our work but for all professionals. It can help all of us understand problems we had in the past which we end up blocking for some reason. A psychologist can help us understand and heal traumas from our childhood and bring coping ideas for problems in the present and future. Itâs fundamental to understand ourselves. But itâs difficult.â
A contributory explanation for Raphinhaâs determination to triumph at Barcelona reverberates back to his youth, when he was transfixed not only by the success of Ronaldinho but the way in which his fellow Brazilian was adored at the Camp Nou.
âTo be honest, I really admired him as a person. In every game, he did something different. When I was young, weâd all be waiting for Barcelona to play to see what Ronaldinho would do in the game. Heâd always surprise us with something special. Thatâs how it was, and he never disappointed us. He always did something magical. I guess it was much better for those in the stadium, but for us watching on TV it was spectacular. Back then, I didnât imagine playing here. It was really distant for me.â
That distant dream inched a little closer when, thanks to his dadâs musical skills, he was brought along to one of Ronaldinhoâs birthday celebrations. Raphinha, the little kid, couldnât believe he was in the presence of the great man. And even now, as a high-profile professional, heâs still struck by the fact that he met his hero. It almost feels like an imagined memory â but for one thing.
âWell, I was really young, and I donât remember an awful lot about it except I know I was there because I got a photo with him! Music and football in Brazil have always been associated with one another. I donât know if this applies abroad, I reckon so, but football without music just doesnât work. My parents were there, as was my younger brother, and many other children were also around that day. But I got that photo taken with Ronaldinho that day.â
When itâs time to wrap up the interview, I close by asking him one of those questions which so many players and coaches like to dodge. Most of them dedicate every single iota of their energy and determination towards winning big trophies, but if you ask them whether they can envisage it happening, many shy away from the idea â as if answering honestly might somehow jinx it all.
Not the case with Barçaâs No11 when I press him on club footballâs grandest prize.
âYes, I see myself winning the Champions League,â he says, without hesitation. âI donât know when, but I see myself winning it. I feel that I will, so Iâll fight to achieve it. I have a mental image of me being there, celebrating with the trophy. Itâs a dream of mine, and dreams are meant to come true. So, I envisage myself lifting that trophy, celebrating with fans and team-mates, and adding another major title to this clubâs history.â
Whether, on that imagined night, heâll still be complaining if his team have lost the possession stats⊠well, I think you know the answer.
One of the best unseen moments of this seasonâs Champions League happened in the immediate aftermath of Barcelona beating Bayern MĂŒnchen 4-1 in October.
Hat trick-hero Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were standing behind the North Goal end of the Estadi OlĂmpic LluĂs Companys, basking in the home fansâ wild acclaim for the biggest, most thrilling victory of Barcelonaâs recent European seasons. As they waved back to the CulĂ©s and punched fists high in the air to acknowledge a shared moment of glory, Raphinha turned to his Polish team-mate and exclaimed, âDammit⊠Look! We lost the possession stats!â
He was genuinely annoyed, despite the context making his irritation seem impossible to comprehend. Barça had been pushed around by Bayern in their previous five meetings, not just beaten every time but losing by an embarrassing aggregate scoreline of 19-2. This victory, therefore, was not simply cathartic â it was a massive boost to morale and momentum, eventually spurring them on to finish second in the new league phase. Add in a first-ever Champions League treble for the Brazilian and surely mere ball-possession statistics ought to have been redundant.
Not to Raphinha. When we meet for a long, friendly chat at Barcelonaâs training ground, heâs initially surprised to discover I know this detail. My producer, Tim, had been filming right next to the two men behind the goalmouth when he overheard Raphinhaâs startled and disappointed reaction to the numbers on the screen above their heads. Either way, Barçaâs captain that night smiles sheepishly now, accepting that we stumbled upon an important facet of his character.
âLosing? I canât even explain how much I hate it,â he says. âI donât like losing on the pitch, I donât like losing in my house. If Iâm playing a card or a board game with my friends, I hate to lose. I get really angry. Obviously, defeat is natural in football â it happens. But Iâm someone who has difficulty accepting that.
âI think me complaining to Robert that weâd lost the possession stats simply underlines how, often, the result doesnât reflect how a match went. Against Bayern, it was very balanced. The result could have been 2-1 or 1-0. Even so, defeating them, one of the best clubs in the world, in my 100th match for Barcelona, was amazing. Only those who experienced that match really know what we felt. So special.â
And that special moment didnât arrive by magic. The Porto Alegre-born 28-year-old is currently revelling in the most decisive, entertaining phase of his career by far. By the end of the league phase, he was, statistically, the Champions Leagueâs most valuable player: eight goals and five assists. At the time of writing, he is also the author of 24 goals and 15 assists across all competitions this term (already an all-time personal best).
Two other facts count heavily in this performance appraisal. Firstly, his team-mates elected him to join Barcelonaâs captaincy group last summer and, secondly, for neutrals who simply love the sport, watching Raphinha in action has become joyful. Whether he plays down the left, the right or in Barcelonaâs fabled No10 position, he oozes gusto, inventiveness, creativity, and he has formed exceptional relationships with both the veteran Lewandowski and the teenage genius that is Lamine Yamal.
âYou could say Iâm living the best moment of my career because I have my best stats. But I began this season with a different kind of motivation thanks to the captaincy thing. Honestly, if you asked me last season if that was something I was expecting, Iâd have said, âNo!â
âThatâs because of the moment Iâd been experiencing: I was not confident, and I wasnât consistent. So, it was far from my expectations â I didnât see myself as one of Barcelonaâs captains. This season, my confidence changed, my mindset changed, and the fact that I donât accept losing might help me to display leadership on and off the pitch.
âI have always been a fighter. Thatâs one of my strengths. And the manager gives me a lot of confidence, on and off the pitch. The fact that everyone accepted me as a captain was really important to help me understand my role in the dressing room and on the pitch. Whenever someone needs something, Iâm willing to help. Moreover, confidence is important for any professional, not just footballers. When youâre very confident, your way of working is different. Things happen naturally.â
Raphinha fits into a large category of South American players for whom early life proved brutally arduous, and likewise the start of their playing careers. Even the humblest dreams often seemed out of reach. Hence the fierce combative spirit etched deep into his character.
He and his family were often too poor for him to afford the bus ticket to training, or the entry fee which his junior side were required to produce in order to play in local tournaments. None of that makes him unique. But it did condition how tenacious and resourceful he became, especially given that he was often turned down because of his physique.
âEventually, this all gave me more will to fight for what I wanted, but there were some tournaments I didnât play in because I didnât have the money to pay an entry fee. And I was very small, very thin, meaning I was rejected many times in the youth categories. They said I didnât have the strength or the size to be able to compete.
âThat simply gave me the hunger to fight and to prove that the size or strength of a person donât attest to their ability to play football. I believe that intelligence and skills need to be taken into consideration. Leo Messi is small and, in my opinion, he is the best of all time. Neymar was slender when he was playing at Santos and he did what he did, then he came to Barcelona and he was still skinny but did everything he did here. So, I think people shouldnât prioritise strength and size over a playerâs skills and intelligence. Anyway, I struggled a lot with that when I was a kid, meaning I had to battle and fight for my dreams.â
Unfortunately, this sport we cherish doesnât always show its friendly face, even to the most doughty or diligent. Far from it. So, when Raphinha first joined Barcelona from Leeds United in 2022, he found the experience so tough that it very nearly forced him to accept defeat â the concept he hates the most â and to throw his hands up in surrender.
Not long after that hat-trick against Bayern, Raphinha admitted to Catalan radio station RAC1 that, after training, he had often gone home to his wife either in tears or doubting whether he had any future at the club. He called football a sport which could âdestroy youâ, and admitted that on many mornings he awoke without the will to go and train. His upset wife, he explained, âdidnât really know how to help meâ. Naturally, he was tempted to give up.
Itâs Raphinha himself who deserves the vast majority of the credit for taking that situation, reversing it, and rising to become arguably Barcelonaâs most important footballer this season. The way he tells it to us, however, he didnât achieve all that on his own. Sports psychology played a huge role, for a start.
âWhen you change teams â be it as a player, coach or in another role â adapting is something youâve just got to get through,â he says. âAdapting to new team-mates, your new coach and the way of playing in a team thatâs new to you. Thatâs natural in football, and in the world in general. When you move locations in any profession, youâve got to adapt to your new company.
âThe difference in football is that people expect results really quickly. It may or may not happen. In general, people need to bed in, to keep calm and work hard because, with work, you can adapt a lot quicker. Fortunately, Iâve had a lot of help from my team-mates, the coaching staff, the coach, the board and the president. When I arrived, though, I wasnât working with a psychologist. Later, due to the difficulties I went through, I ended up looking for a professional to get help, to understand what I was feeling. And that was very important.
âGetting help from a specialised psychology professional is always helpful. Itâs important to understand ourselves, our feelings, what weâre dealing with, everything we can do to adapt faster. I think itâs important not only for our work but for all professionals. It can help all of us understand problems we had in the past which we end up blocking for some reason. A psychologist can help us understand and heal traumas from our childhood and bring coping ideas for problems in the present and future. Itâs fundamental to understand ourselves. But itâs difficult.â
A contributory explanation for Raphinhaâs determination to triumph at Barcelona reverberates back to his youth, when he was transfixed not only by the success of Ronaldinho but the way in which his fellow Brazilian was adored at the Camp Nou.
âTo be honest, I really admired him as a person. In every game, he did something different. When I was young, weâd all be waiting for Barcelona to play to see what Ronaldinho would do in the game. Heâd always surprise us with something special. Thatâs how it was, and he never disappointed us. He always did something magical. I guess it was much better for those in the stadium, but for us watching on TV it was spectacular. Back then, I didnât imagine playing here. It was really distant for me.â
That distant dream inched a little closer when, thanks to his dadâs musical skills, he was brought along to one of Ronaldinhoâs birthday celebrations. Raphinha, the little kid, couldnât believe he was in the presence of the great man. And even now, as a high-profile professional, heâs still struck by the fact that he met his hero. It almost feels like an imagined memory â but for one thing.
âWell, I was really young, and I donât remember an awful lot about it except I know I was there because I got a photo with him! Music and football in Brazil have always been associated with one another. I donât know if this applies abroad, I reckon so, but football without music just doesnât work. My parents were there, as was my younger brother, and many other children were also around that day. But I got that photo taken with Ronaldinho that day.â
When itâs time to wrap up the interview, I close by asking him one of those questions which so many players and coaches like to dodge. Most of them dedicate every single iota of their energy and determination towards winning big trophies, but if you ask them whether they can envisage it happening, many shy away from the idea â as if answering honestly might somehow jinx it all.
Not the case with Barçaâs No11 when I press him on club footballâs grandest prize.
âYes, I see myself winning the Champions League,â he says, without hesitation. âI donât know when, but I see myself winning it. I feel that I will, so Iâll fight to achieve it. I have a mental image of me being there, celebrating with the trophy. Itâs a dream of mine, and dreams are meant to come true. So, I envisage myself lifting that trophy, celebrating with fans and team-mates, and adding another major title to this clubâs history.â
Whether, on that imagined night, heâll still be complaining if his team have lost the possession stats⊠well, I think you know the answer.
