This season, Raphinha is reaching an unprecedented peak of his career. The Brazilian star has now scored 31 goals and 25 assists in 52 matches.
Thanks to that brilliant performance, Barcelona won the King's Cup and still have a chance to win the Champions League and La Liga.
Raphinha's transformation surprised many people, because he was underrated at Barcelona at the beginning.
In nearly 2 seasons working with Xavi, the former Leeds star has only scored 20 goals and 25 assists, a number even lower than the 1 season achievement under Hansi Flick.
In a frank conversation with Brazilian journalist Isabela Pagliar, Raphinha revealed that Xavi did not trust him at all.
The MD quoted: "I felt Xavi and his coaching staff didn't trust me. When I did everything well for 60 minutes, he did not hesitate to replace me.
I try to fix the situation, I talk to him a lot. But nothing has changed. He always keeps his own way of thinking.
Under Xavi, Raphinha was only seen as a player as a background. He was often substituted, giving way to Spanish players or starting from La Masia.
The Brazilian star pointed out a moment that proved his bad relationship with Xavi: There was an iconic video, when I went to the bench and played it.
I think it was against Man United. I played well, scored goals and also assisted. I thought we were tied at 2-2, but he saw me and took me off.
I also created a very clear opportunity. I felt comfortable and played very well. And the first replacement was me. When I saw that, I couldn't believe it.
