In many different cases, not every player who dreams of joining FC Barcelona ends up getting to live that dream out. After all, joining the Catalan club means that you stand out amongst the very best, and not everyone is capable of doing that. Even the fortunate few that are able to do that do not always end up making it to Barcelona.
However, the players that the club already has at their disposal this season are proving to be the right crop of talents that have been banded together in order to create excitement and awe. Under the leadership of Hansi Flick, this new-look Barcelona team continues to impress and perplex.
Within this team, there are many players who deserve recognition as well. However, while many players have stood out and many have improved, perhaps the most significant evolution has been that of Raphinha, Barça’s 27-year-old captain and Brazilian forward.
For the player, however, the faith that Hansi Flick continues to put in him hardly comes as a surprise. In fact, according to his own words, it was something that he believed would have happened early on as he knew that the new coach after Xavi Hernandez would ‘fall in love’ with him due to the way he plays after just ‘a week’ of proving himself, as highlighted by SPORT:
“A new coach might have his team, and you might not play. I stayed calm. With a week of work, he’ll fall in love with me. That’s happened everywhere, even with the national team—I end up playing with hard work.”
Ultimately, that is exactly what happened and Hansi Flick can not seem to get enough of Raphinha so far this season. The Brazilian forwards continue to enjoy the form of his life, scoring against the likes of Real Madrid and even getting himself a hattrick against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
However, beyond just the eye-test, it is clear to see the influence that Raphinha is having through his immense work-rate, leadership qualities, and overall ability to connect his teammates. After all, even his statistics do not lie about his influence for Barcelona this season compared to his previous campaigns for La Blaugrana.