From Flop to the Best Player in the World: Raphinha

From a Flop to the Best Player in the World: Raphinha

When everyone gave up on him, he showed up for the badge

Last season FC Barcelona fans wanted Raphinha sold. The memes were loud and the criticism was louder. People were buying Barça jerseys with Raphinha's number and Nico Williams' name on the back. Raphinha wasn't affected by this though. He came back the next season to prove all of his doubters wrong.

What went wrong with his first seasons

In 2022 Brazilian winger Raphinha had just arrived at Barcelona. The Culers were excited as Raphinha had just put on an amazing show in his two seasons at Leeds United. Things didn't go as expected though. The Raphinha that played at Leeds and the one that had arrived at Barça seemed like a different person. He definitely had a difficult start at Barcelona. 

The pressure: When Raphinha joined Barça he had expectations set for him. Starting from his first game he was expected to carry the same flair he had at Leeds. But what the fans didn't understand was that La Liga isn't the Premier League and Barcelona isn't Leeds. At a big club like Barça, mistakes are louder and a player's every move is judged, whether they like it or not. The pressure to perform was definitely a reason why Raphinha's start at Barcelona was so sloppy. 

The system: Xavi's tactics were much different than Marcelo Bielsa's tactics. Leeds played a more expansive attacking football whereas Xavi's Barça didn't. Raphinha who had just come from a different system was expected to adapt to a new one and start performing well immediately. Raphinha simply could not play under Xavi's tactics. That is not the type of player he was or is today. In simple terms Raphinha's first seasons weren't necessarily bad, he was just being misused.

The rotations: Raphinha was never guaranteed to be in the starting line-up at Barça. Although he started quite a few games in both seasons he was never given the time to get comfortable in a game and was subbed off soon. He wasn't allowed to express himself in his football, he had to play in a way that would get him minutes. Raphinha constantly getting subbed off or in never helped him, it only hurt him.

Raphinha after Barcelona got knocked out of the UCL by PSG

Raphinha's Redemption

The Raphinha we are seeing this season is a completely different person than 2022-2024 Raphinha. It's like he used all the comments and criticism as motivation. This season he is playing with confidence and freedom- he has truly got his flair back. Now Raphinha knows that Barça is where he belongs.

Raphinha hattrick vs Bayern

What changed

This season there are quite a few factors that helped Raphinha. The one that brought the most change was a new manager. This season FC Barcelona's new manager Hansi Flick has completely changed Raphinha. Hansi Flick's tactics are quite similar to the playing style Raphinha is comfortable with which is high attacking football. 

The fact that Hansi Flick had trust in Raphinha is also a big factor. After so much criticism Raphinha did well to make sure it didn't affect him, but just having the knowledge that his coach trusts him is exactly what he needed. Sometimes all a player needs is belief and this season Raphinha got his.

Another big factor is Raphinha himself. The fact he wanted to play at Barça after so much criticism speaks volumes. He never lost hope in himself and that is what made all the difference. He believed so deeply in himself that the outside world didn't matter to him. All he cared about was showing everyone the real Raphinha.

Raphinha receiving MOTM in the Supercopa final

The truth is Raphinha was never a flop at Barça he just never reached his full potential. This season he has proved all his doubters wrong. Whether he wins the Ballon d'Or this season or not, his story is one of inspiration to us all.