Raphinha: 5 interesting facts about the Barcelona forward that you might not know
The global sports betting company 1xBet tells about one of the best Brazilian football players of our generation.
Rags to riches
Raphinha’s path isn’t typical of Brazilian stars who usually show their outstanding abilities very early. Vinícius, Rodrygo and Endrick all joined Real Madrid as teenagers. Ronaldinho was 19 when he scored his famous goal against Venezuela at the 1999 Copa América. Neymar was considered a star almost from the time he was a nappy. Ronaldo, at the age of 20, was just a little short of the Ballon d’Or. Raphinha made his European debut just before his 20th birthday, playing for the Portuguese Vitória Guimarães in March 2016.
Internacional and Grêmio gave up on our hero, so he had to fight his way into the pros: “There are fans who go to games with weapons. They try to scare you so that their team wins. Once, as children, we were in the locker room and they started banging on our door. “If you win, you won’t get out of here,” they shouted at us. We lost, but not because the opponents were better.”
Is Raphinha the spoilt child of fortune? No, this guy has faced many challenges before becoming the world’s top player. Raphinha is one of many embodiments of the Brazilian dream when a boy from the favelas becomes a millionaire thanks to his success in football.
Begging for food in the street
Raphinha recently told another characteristic story from his childhood: «I was about 12 years old. I was with a friend, all dirty after finishing a training session. There were no showers at the club. And the bus took a long time to arrive. We were hungry, but we didn’t have money. So, we started begging in the street to eat something. It was a bit complicated, people don’t want you to bother them. Good-hearted people helped us. But I understand the people who didn’t give us anything. It was difficult to stop, we seemed like kids living in the street. It’s normal that they were a bit scared.”
Such stories hardened Raphinha’s character and taught him to overcome any difficulties. Thanks to his determination and good nature, the player met other good people on his way. At Sporting, Raphinha became friends with Bruno Fernandes, who later persuaded our hero to move from Rennes to Leeds. We should also mention Deco, who as an agent launched Raphinha’s European career.
Relationship with Ronaldinho: friendship and trolling
Ronaldinho and Raphinha are both from Porto Alegre. Our hero met the Brazilian football star at the age of 7. Raphinha’s father and uncle were personally acquainted with Ronaldinho. The boy and his idol developed a friendly relationship, which continues to this day. But sometimes funny stories happen.
During the 2024 Copa América, Ronaldinho publicly criticized the Brazil national team and refused to watch its matches. Raphinha quickly reacted: “Maybe it’s a publicity stunt because I know that Ronaldinho asked Vinícius for tickets to our games a few days ago. Such actions are not in line with what he said before.”
Did that trolling ruin Raphinha and Ronaldinho’s friendship? Such an idea is as absurd as saying football betting guarantees 100% winnings.
He could have left Barcelona three times
Many fans know that FC Barcelona, the official partner of the reliable online betting company 1xBet, wanted to buy Nico Williams in the summer. If the club had managed to get the Euro 2024 winner, it is unlikely that Raphinha would have had a spot in the Barcelona squad.
The player admitted that he had been on the verge of leaving even earlier. The first time was before the World Cup in Qatar: Raphinha had a difficult start in Barcelona. Then the Brazilian thought of changing clubs during the 2023-24 season. “But football is no fun without pressure. There has to be pressure in football. I always dreamed of playing for big clubs, playing in big matches for the national team, and you can’t realize those dreams without pressure,” was how Raphinha explained why he decided not to give up and stay at Barcelona.
The right coach
Under Xavi, Raphinha’s personal statistics at Barcelona couldn’t be called a failure: he scored 20 goals and made 25 assists in 87 games. But the Brazilian still feels a bit of disappointment after working with the legendary Catalan: “During Xavi’s tenure, I always felt I would be substituted in the 60th minute. I tried to squeeze everything out of myself within those 60 minutes, but nothing helped. I got substituted even when I was playing well.”
In the off-season, Hansi Flick made Raphinha a main squad player, and it turned out to be the right decision. Under the new coach, the player has fantastic statistics. The 27-year-old plays brilliantly on both wings and has suddenly revealed himself as a center attacking midfielder. Raphinha has also been given the captain armband, an indicator of authority in the team and a reward for his strong character.
Brazil needs players with Raphinha’s mentality to regain the World Cup title. Support our national team betting on Brazil with the highest odds from the best bookmaker!
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