In an interview ahead of the Champions League qualifying round clash with Bayern, Raphinha spoke about a photo on social media that made him very upset. It involved Nico Williams, who was very close to joining Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
In a social media post, Raphinha saw a Barca fan holding up his No. 11 jersey but with the name "Nico Williams" instead of "Raphinha". The Brazilian striker rarely comments on social media posts, but this time he left his own opinion on the post.
"I left a comment on that post because I thought it was disrespectful. People need to respect the players of the club who are working hard to give their all for the country.
Such actions make me feel uncomfortable, even though I know that fans can do whatever they want" - Raphinha shared.
The past 2 months, especially after EURO 2024, have brought a lot of pressure to Raphinha. When Lamine Yamal shone to help the Spanish team win the championship, when he returned to Barca, he was naturally the main player on the right wing. Raphinha had to leave his favorite position to move to the opposite wing. He has tried his best to do well in his new role.
However, if Barca buys Nico Williams from Bilbao, the team's wing pairing could be Williams - Yamal, just like what was introduced at EURO 2024. At that time, Raphinha will be "left out". Worse still, many fans of the team have affection for Williams even though this star has never even negotiated with Barcelona. They forget that Raphinha is still there.
Understanding this, Raphinha said he would try harder in every statement he made. He is proving it through his good performance, contributing to Blaugrana's No. 1 position on the La Liga rankings since the beginning of the season.
"That is not the main motivation for me to try harder. When I still have a contract with the club in the coming years, what I need to do is to dedicate myself and show my best performance. If I tried 100% before, now it will be 200%" - Raphinha shared.
Since the beginning of the season, Raphinha has played 12 matches in all competitions, with very good statistics including 6 goals and 8 assists. He and his teammates will host Bayern Munich at home in the early morning of October 24 (Vietnam time) in the UEFA Champions League.
