Deco has been the Sporting Director of FC Barcelona for the better part of a year now and it is safe to say that he is yet to entirely convince the fanbase of his credentials. It doesn’t help that he succeeded Mateu Alemany, who established himself as one of the best sporting directors at the club in recent history.
Before becoming the sporting director of the club, Deco was an agent and was the driving factor behind bringing Raphinha to the club. The 27-year-old Brazilian’s performances in his first two seasons left a lot to be desired.
This summer, amid the registration fiasco, the pressure on Deco was at the highest it had been since he moved here. However, as per Diario AS, the resurgence of Raphinha and his recent performances has helped flip the narrative on the Portuguese star’s credentials.
The Brazilian winger’s impact so far this season under Hansi Flick has been incredible. He has 11 goal contributions from as many games and with the armband, he has emerged as a leader on and off the pitch in a way no one would have envisioned.
Raphinha is finally looking like the version he was in Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, which prompted Barcelona to bring him to the club. This version of the Brazilian has developed into a more sophisticated, clinical attacking outlet.
The best thing about Raphinha this season has been his energy and pressing. Hansi Flick wants the team to counter-press for the entire 90 minutes and more often than not, it is the Brazilian who leads the press from the front, setting an example for his teammates.
What this shows is that Deco did a good job in bringing the 27-year-old to the club and it has just taken two years to figure out how to get the best out of him. The performances of Dani Olmo should also help ease the pressure on the Portuguese director.
One can only hope that Raphinha continues this form for a long time to come. He is now set to represent Brazil on international duty and let’s hope he returns unscathed and continues from where he left off against Sevilla.