FC Barcelona star Raphinha admitted to RAC1 that he considered leaving the club at one point of his two-year tenure in Catalonia.
The Brazilian is the man of the hour with three goals and two assists thus far, which have helped Barca maintain a 100% record across four games in 2024/2025 under Hansi Flick.
He appears to be a new player on Flick’s watch, who is finally starting to live up to his reported $66 million (€60 million) price tag which Barca met to snatch him away from Leeds United in 2022.
Things weren’t always so rosy, however, and Raphinha admitted that he once considered calling it a day with the Blaugrana.”Did I consider leaving? Yes,” Raphinha confessed to RAC1. “The first six months were complicated for me and my family. After the World Cup I improved and I was able to finish the season well. I was calmer, but at the beginning it was quite difficult.”
“My adaptation was difficult for me. I knew what I had to do, but not that it would be so difficult on a personal level. I once thought about leaving. Barca is a giant club and it’s normal that it’s difficult. I wasn’t used to this, but it happened quickly,” he added.
As one of Barca’s most sellable assets, Raphinha has often been linked with a move away from his club where he has a contract until 2027 – especially when it comes to a big money switch to Saudi Arabia or a return to the Premier League.”It is annoying to see rumors of departure, it is normal.
Every day there is a different piece of news and this ends up being annoying. My head has always been here.
Every season I think about doing better than the previous one and showing that I’m capable of being here for many years. I’ve received a lot of offers, but the best one for me is to be at Barca,” he stressed.
Talking about the differences between his last two head coaches in Xavi and Hansi Flick, Raphinha explained that the team now works a “little more physically”.
“It’s normal, each person has their own way of working. Xavi had a way of thinking, focusing on the ball. Hansi has another one and he believes that the physique will help us more.”
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