Raphinha joined Barcelona from Leeds United this summer and has enjoyed a fine start to life at Camp Nou. He’s already provided two goals and two assists, playing with an aggression and hunger that will stand him in good stead in the future.
Barcelona opened their pre-season campaign with a 1-1 draw with Olot before travelling to the United States and beating Inter Miami 6-0. They followed that up with a 1-0 defeat of great rivals Real Madrid in Las Vegas and face Juventus in Dallas next.
“Being a Clasico, it was a unique sensation,” Raphinha, who scored the winning goal against Madrid, told Mundo Deportivo. “It’s difficult to try to explain the feelings that end up going through your head. But scoring in a Clasico made me feel very happy. I hope it will the first of many goals in Clasicos.”
They close out their tour against New York Red Bulls before returning to Europe to face Pumas in the Joan Gamper. Their La Liga campaign will begin on August 13th against Rayo Vallecano.
Born in Porto Alegre, the Brazilian is 25 years of age. He joined Leeds in the summer of 2020 when they were promoted to English football’s top tier and has emerged as one of the most dynamic footballers in the European game.
Raphinha made 67 appearances in total for Leeds, contributing 17 goals and 12 assists across all competitions. He was integral as they finished their first season in the top tier of English football since 2003/04 in a respectable ninth place and while they struggled collectively in 2021/22 his class has never been called into question. He was integral to their successful survival bid.
