Barcelona star Raphinha has revealed the reasons behind his struggles at the club under the tutelage of Xavi Hernandez.
The Brazilian forward joined Barcelona from Leeds in 2022 but he struggled to be in the good books of the Spanish manager.
He has now revealed that Xavi, and his coaching crew never believed in him despite sanctioning his signing.
He said: “I felt like the coaching staff didn’t have any confidence in me.
“When there was no other [player], I was there and I played 90 minutes. I gave everything I could give and had an impact on games, but when there was another [player] who could play in my place, they picked them without even thinking about it.
“Sometimes, I was doing everything for 60 minutes and they would take me off. There’s a famous video in which I explode when I reach the bench and punch it.
“I think it was the game against Manchester United [in the Europa League in 2023]. I had done really well. I had scored and set up a goal. I think it was 2-2 and they took me off.
“I had just created a really good chance. I felt good and was playing well. And I was the first player taken off. I could not believe it.”
Raphinha made 87 appearances in two seasons under Xavi, he completed 90 minutes on eight occasions while 27 came as a substitute.
He continued: “I tried to fix the situation,” he added. “I had several conversations with [Xavi], but I saw that it was making no difference. He had his way of thinking.”
The Brazilian forward was full of praise for Hansi Flick, hailing the German manager for his man-ma agent skills.
Raphinha concluded: “He is someone who looks out for all the players, those that are playing and those that are not playing,” Raphinha said of the approach utilised by Flick.
“I really noticed that when Vitor Roque left. I was really moved by how he dealt with that. He was more concerned than Vitor about what was happening. He went to speak with the club to find out all about the situation and he spoke with [Roque].”
Raphinha has enjoyed a prolific season for Barcelona and a new lease of life under new coach Hansi Flick, scoring 31 goals in all competitions this season.
