Raphinha was signed by Xavi when he was in charge at Barcelona but never felt he had the trust of his former boss – with tempers boiling over when the Brazilian was subbed off in a European clash
Raphinha claims he “never had the trust” of Xavi when he was at Barcelona – which led to his struggles at the Nou Camp. The Brazilian was signed by the Spanish giants under their former manager, but felt puzzled by some of his selection decisions.
Raphinha had been impressive at Leeds, which led the Catalans to spend £55million to land his services. The 28-year-old was in and out of the starting picture, which led to him being inconsistent.
The player claims he would only start and play the whole game if there was no other option, but the minute Xavi could call upon someone else he quickly snubbed Raphinha.
Emotions boiled over one evening against Manchester United in the Europa League when the Brazilian was enjoying one of his more impressive games. However, he was subbed off in the latter stages with Raphinha making his frustration clear on the bench before clear-the-air talks failed to change things.
He told YouTuber Isabela Pagliari, Raphinha said: “I felt like neither he nor the coaching staff trusted me. When there was no one else, I was there and played the full 90 minutes. I gave everything I had to and won games, but when there was someone else who could play in my place, I did it without thinking. Sometimes, I’d be doing everything in 60 minutes and they’d take me out.READ MORE: Lamine Yamal compared to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at 17 – with a clear winnerREAD MORE: Man Utd and Chelsea transfer target labelled ‘next Lionel Messi’ and will cost just £38m
“There’s an iconic video of me exploding when I get to the bench and punch. I think it was the game against Manchester United, where I’d been doing really well, scoring a goal and providing an assist. I think we were 2-2 and he brought me off. I’d just created a really clear chance.
“I was feeling comfortable and playing really well. And I was the first substitution. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it. I tried to fix it, I had several conversations with him, but I saw that they didn’t make any difference. He had his way of thinking.”
Xavi departed at the end of last year with Hansi Flick coming in to replace him and the German, himself a Champions League winner, has been able to unlock Raphinha’s potential. The Brazilian is enjoying the best year of his career, already scoring on 31 occasions.
-He’s formed part of a phenomenal front three with Barcelona on course to land a sensational treble. A victory in the Champions League would further Raphinha’s case to win the Ballon d’Or with the Brazilian among the favourites to claim the Golden Ball.
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