Raphinha thought he was gone.
He was back in Brazil in 2024 and had, in his own words, already decided he was leaving Barcelona. Then Flick, only just appointed head coach, called and asked him to hold off before making a final decision.
“In my head, I knew I was leaving. That was done, that’s the truth,” he told The Guardian.
The conversation that followed lasted a matter of minutes, and it reset everything.
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“He arrived at a time, in 2024, when I’d practically written off my time at Barcelona. My mind was already elsewhere; I wanted to leave.”
“If I hadn’t had that conversation with Flick and he hadn’t convinced me in a matter of minutes that he was counting on me and trusted me, I wouldn’t be here now.”
What Flick actually said
The pitch was short. Flick did not lay out a game plan or promise a specific role.
“He didn’t give me a specific reason, nor did he need to explain everything in detail. When a manager instils confidence in you, a few words are enough.”
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“The manager has changed my life. I’ll always say that, forever and ever.”
From near-exit to captain
Two years on, Raphinha wears the armband and tops the La Liga scoring charts.
He scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Sevilla on 19 September as Barcelona sealed a seventh straight league win, with Lamine Yamal setting up two of the goals.
His shift from wide forward to something closer to a number nine has come without a formal tactical instruction attached to it.
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“It was more of a gradual process, an adaptation that has taken place over the last two years.”
Yamal for the Ballon d’Or
Raphinha was clear on his teammate’s Ballon d’Or case, pointing to his “individual numbers, collective titles, and the magic on the pitch, charisma.”
“There’s no doubt. For me, he has to take the prize, no matter what.”
“Even if I wasn’t Lamine’s teammate, for what he does, the numbers, the titles, and I think titles are important, he’s the candidate. One of one.”
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Barcelona have won all seven of their La Liga matches so far this season.
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