FC Barcelona are currently plagued with injuries to certain star players within their squad. All of these key players are integral to Barcelona in one way or another as they are crucial to Xavi’s plans and set-ups in their unique ways.
Two of those injured stars are 20-year-old Pedri and 26-year-old Frenkie De Jong. Midfielders possessing extraordinary capabilities, both of them are regarded as untouchables within the Barcelona setup.
Upon their respective returns, there is little doubt amongst the coaches and fans of La Blaugrana that they will fit right into the starting eleven.
Unfortunately, the tide is not as smooth for the third and latest addition to the injury list. 26-year-old Brazilian winger Raphinha went down injured in the clash against Sevilla in La Liga holding his hamstring. The injury comes as an untimely occurrence, given that he had only just regained Xavi’s faith as a starter in the team.
Competition on the right
Highlighted by Spanish outlet SPORT, Raphinha will now have to redo all his good work upon both his returns this season. Having started in the very first game against Getafe, he was expelled with a red card that kept him suspended for two games. The action was seen as undesirable by Xavi and the manager began to put his faith in Lamine Yamal.
Regaining faith
Even after his return from suspension, Raphinha saw himself being behind both a 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and a resurgent Ferran Torres. However, the Brazilian did not stop working towards his goal and after much determination managed to finally regain the good faith of Xavi Hernandez.
The faith was also restored from the perspective of the Brazilian National team consequently. Called upon for the first team since the 2022 World Cup, Raphinha began to get settled in the environment of the international setting as well until this latest injury setback.
International set-back
Due to this, he will now definitely miss the international games for Brazil scheduled to take place against Venezuela and Uruguay in October. However, the 26-year-old has kept in mind the upcoming fixture against Argentina in November for the World Cup qualifiers as a key date to make his mark.
Long way back
Despite the good intentions, it appears that Raphinha is set for a long way back to redemption. However, not just in terms of his recovery, but also to fully regain his place as a starter within both Barcelona and the Brazilian team, with expectations now on him to make a third restart this season.
Following Dembele’s departure, Raphinha could finally play as a starter and not as a second fiddle. In came the suspension, and he had to regain faith all over again. Now, for the third time this season, Raphinha will be put in the hot seat to prove himself all over again.