Raphinha On How Transfer Rumors Affect Players: FC Barcelona attacker Raphinha opened up about the challenges of playing football on the highest level and how transfer rumours about a player affect their psyche.
The Brazilian winger was a star player for the Leeds United side that finished in the top half of the Premier League a few seasons ago. In the summer of 2022, he signed with the La Liga giants for a massive fee of 58 million euros.
In his two seasons with the Blaugrana, the now 27-year-old has shown glimpses of being world-class but has not been consistent. Before the start of the 2024/25 season, he had played 87 matches for Barca, scoring 20 goals and assisting 25. He was a big piece of the side that won La Liga in the 2022/23 season.
Despite how good he has been on occasion in the past two seasons, Barcelona looked to offload the winger in the recent summer transfer window. He was being linked with a move away due to the club’s dire financial condition, the conditions which did not allow them to sign the likes of Nico Williams, register their star-signing Dani Olmo for weeks after signing him, or force them to sell midfielder Ilkay Gundogan for free.
Now that the transfer window has ended, the Brazilian will stay with the Catalan club for at least another season. And he has paid that back in a fine manner. In the four matches he has played in La Liga this season, the winger has scored three goals and three assists, climbing to the top of the league’s goal-scoring list as Barcelona stands at the top of the table.
Raphinha On How Transfer Rumors Affect Players
In a recent interview with Spanish radio station RAC1, Raphinha discussed his feelings about his awesome start to the season.
“After reading that you’re leaving, that the club doesn’t count on you, after hearing the press speak badly about you… I would never have imagined being one of the captains of Barca. I’m very excited. Inside the dressing room, people trust in me. This moves you and makes you feel more important,” he said.
The Barca player also discussed how difficult it is to be a professional footballer with all the media speculation surrounding them and how the weight of expectations has gotten the better of him on occasion, saying,
“If you work hard and want to have a football career, you have to not give up. I have had many reasons to give up, put football aside, and move on with my life. It is a profession that destroys you. I have had moments when I came home and I didn’t know if I would get up in the morning to come to train again. I have cried a lot, also here. I do psychological work because I have seen that it is very important for everyone to do it because it helps a lot. Football destroys you. It’s very easy to go into depression and leave everything.”
After four wins in a row to kick off their La Liga campaign, which includes their recent 7-0 win over Valladolid, Barcelona will take on Girona in their next game on Sunday, September 15, after the international break.
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