The former Leeds winger struggled for a long time to prove his worth in Catalunya, but he's now flourishing under Hansi Flick
Ronaldinho could take no more. Brazil's dour draw with the United States in their final Copa America warm-up game had tipped him over the edge. Ronaldinho resigned from supporting the Selecao.
"That's it folks, I've had enough," the World Cup winner wrote on Instagram. "This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian soccer. It's getting hard to find the spirit to watch the games. This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, only average players for the majority.
"I've been following football since I was a kid, long before I thought about becoming a player, and I've never seen a situation as bad as this. Lack of love for the shirt, lack of grit and the most important of all: football.
"I'll repeat, our performance has been one of the worst things I've ever seen. Such a shame. I therefore declare my resignation. I will not watch any CONMEBOL Copa America game, nor celebrate any victory."
Such a stinging attack from arguably the most spectacularly skilful footballer Brazil devastated the players, and Raphinha in particular. The winger considered Ronaldinho not only an idol but a friend.
"It has been a hard blow for us," Raphinha admitted to reporters. "We need encouragement and constructive criticism, not just negativity. We are working hard to bring glory back to Brazil."
Raphinha's effort certainly can't be faulted. Few players in world football are working harder than he is right now – or playing better at club level. The big question is, though, whether the wonderfully determined character playing a key role in Barcelona's dramatic revival this season can also breathe new life into Brazil during the international break…
Surviving in 'The Wild West'
Raphinha has always had to deal with doubt and disappointment. Unlike most players that reach the pinnacle of the profession, he wasn't a childhood prodigy picked up by a top team at a young age. Consequently, he was forced to prove his worth in Brazil's (in)famous varzea tournaments, "the home of the rejects" as he put it himself; an unforgiving arena for those still trying desperately to get an academy contract.
"It really is The Wild West, man," he told in 2021. "You play on clay. Burning heat. Dust and sand. Someone will bring a ball from home. Often there are no nets, just the posts. Bibs? Forget about it. One team just plays shirtless.
"And these players are really the rejects, man. They play with anger. They play to survive. They play like their lives depend on it… You would often see the bosses in the community stand around the pitch with guns. You could be about to score when a random gunshot would go off. Let me tell you, it can kind of put you off! The fireworks too, man. That’s why I always say that if you can play in the varzea games, you can play anywhere. A big European final? Don’t care. A stadium with 90,000 people? Bring it on.
"I'm still very proud that I played in so many varzea tournaments. And honestly, I loved it. Those games made me so tough. When I play now, I want to be booed. I want the pressure and the intimidation. That's what gets me going."
AdvertisementGetty Images'Thought about leaving'
Joining Barcelona, then, shouldn't have come as such a shock to Raphinha's system. But he struggled with the intense scrutiny. He felt the weight of the jersey, and it showed.
He scored just once in his first 17 appearances in all competitions for Barca, and contributed only four assists. Perhaps even more significantly, the player that tormented full-backs in the Premier League appeared almost scared to take players on in La Liga.
He looked and felt inhibited. Shockingly, a player forged in such a harsh environment in Porto Alegre felt like quitting Catalunya just months after arriving.
"At the beginning, it was very challenging," the €60 million (£50m/$66m) signing from Leeds United confessed in an interview with . "My adaptation to the club was difficult.
"I knew it was something that had to happen, but not that it would be so difficult on a personal level. This moved my head a little, I sometimes thought about leaving – not at the end of the season, but in the first half of the season. Barca is a huge club and it is normal for it to be difficult [to adapt]. But I wasn't used to that [kind of struggle]."
Getty ImagesThe tie that changed everything
Raphinha began to settle after the resumption of play following the mid-season break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and his form improved. However, he was still in and out of Xavi's team, with the former Barcelona boss regularly picking Ousmane Dembele on the right flank ahead of Raphinha.
The Brazilian's hopes of becoming a regular in his preferred position didn't even improve after Dembele defected to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023. Why? Because of the emergence of a truly outstanding right winger in Lamine Yamal. However, it was at this point that Raphinha's resilience really came to the fore.
When Barcelona played Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League, the continually questioned attacker belatedly proved that he had not only the talent but the character to play at the very highest level. Although the Blaugrana were beaten, Raphinha scored three times across the two legs – and those goals proved a turning point.
"I think it was a tie that helped me to be much more confident and believe in myself much more," he told his club's official media channel. "I also think that after those games, people have been able to trust me a little more and appreciate what I can bring to the team."
There was still incessant talk of a transfer, though, because while he no longer wanted to leave Barcelona, the likelihood of him being forced out for financial reasons had only increased.
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(C)GettyImagesNo room for Raphinha?
The upturn in his form and fortunes, during the second half of the 2023-24 campaign in particular, essentially put Raphinha in the shop window. As one of the few very valuable assets on Barca's books, Raphinha became the player it made most sense to sell, particularly as club president Joan Laporta was intent on signing two of Spain's stars from Euro 2024: attacking midfielder Dani Olmo and left winger Nico Williams. If both deals went through, there would be simply no room for Raphinha on Barca's balance sheet.
In the end, though, only Olmo arrived, and even his game time has been restricted, by registration problems and injury issues. To say that Raphinha has taken advantage of his unexpected stay of execution would be a massive understatement.
In 11 outings in all competitions so far this season, Raphinha has created 39 chances – more than any other player across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues, including Bukayo Saka (34), Vinicius Jr (28), Florian Wirtz (26) and Cole Palmer (25) – and racked up five assists.
Rather significantly, he's also contributed six goals, after managing only 10 in each of his first two seasons at Barca, and is now part of the most prolific front three in Europe alongside Yamal and Robert Lewandowski.