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Raphinha reveals how close he came to leaving Barcelona after not “feeling comfortable mentally” as he hails Hansi Flick for winning him over – and responds to hitting “a hat-trick”
Raphinha has revealed how close he came to quitting Barcelona after not “feeling comfortable mentally”.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazilian has been instrumental to Barca’s treble pursuit this season, scoring 27 goals and providing 20 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions. He has been of of the season’s top performers and is one of the contenders for the Ballon d’Or at the end of the season if the form continues.
WHAT DID RAPHINHA SAY?
Raphinha revealed how he was close to leaving Barcelona due to questions looming over his future amid the club’s financial limitations and his own struggles to adapt.
“I was thinking about leaving Barça after the Copa América,” Raphinha said. “I wasn’t feeling mentally comfortable until Flick called me. Every day, there were rumours about me signing for one team or another. Things didn’t go as they should have; I had a worse season than expected, and I saw people asking me to leave while reports of my departure surfaced daily. I seriously considered leaving.”
The Brazilian winger explained that a personal call from new manager Hansi Flick proved decisive in his decision to stay at the club.
“Flick called me and asked me to come to training before making a decision because he wanted to talk to me and counted on me,” he said. “That was a turning point in my decision to stay. I spoke with my wife and told her: If this man is fair and sees the effort I put into training, I’ll make him want me in a week, and he won’t regret it. And I think I was right.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Raphinha also emphasized the importance of mental health in professional football. He revealed that he has been working with a psychologist for three years, which has been crucial to his resurgence.
“If your mind isn’t right, your body doesn’t respond. Working with a psychologist has helped me a lot,” he explained. “If you don’t take care of yourself, football destroys you. It’s very easy to enter depression and give up on everything.”
The 27-year-old’s turnaround has been remarkable, with his performances putting him in contention for the Ballon d’Or this year. Raphinha is now one of Barcelona’s vice-captains and has become a key player under Hansi Flick’s management.
WHAT NEXT FOR RAPHINHA?
Raphinha just came back from being in action with the Brazilian national team, and has since joined Barça as they have a tight schedule in this decisive part of the season. Barcelona has 3 matches in 7 days, visiting Atletico de Madrid for the 2nd leg of the Copa del Rey on the 2nd of April, hosting Betis for the La Liga and hosting Dortmund for the 1st leg of the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League.
