Barcelona maintained their winning record in La Liga at La Ceramica. The ‘Cules’ confirmed their flying start to the season with a 5-1 thrashing of Villarreal away from home, although they suffered another injury setback when Ter Stegen was forced off the pitch after damaging his knee.
It was not a lucky day for Barcelona's German goalkeeper, but who will have fond memories of that game will be Raphinha. The Brazilian winger scored a brace and also wore the captain's armband, something that means a lot to him.
"I won't lie... I have been a Barca fan since I was a kid. I grew up watching these players and it's an honor to play here," said the Brazilian international.
"The captaincy means a lot to me, I'm very emotional. Playing matches as captain of FC Barcelona is very special," he added. The former Leeds player has had a fantastic start to the season, scoring five goals and providing two assists in seven games played.
FC Barcelona have enjoyed a fabulous start to the season under Hansi Flick with six wins from six La Liga games. There have been many stars for the German’s team so far but none more so than Brazilian winger Raphinha.
Since his move to Barcelona from Leeds United a couple of seasons ago, Raphinha struggled to convincingly win over the fanbase who were often divided on his performances. He showed signs of coming into his own in the second half of last season under Xavi.
However, he has enjoyed a transformative effect in these initial games under Hansi Flick. He has chipped in with goals and assists but more importantly, he has given his everything on the pitch in every game to ensure Barcelona come out on the winning side.
Against Villarreal last night in Barcelona’s 5-1 win, the Brazilian attacker netted a brace and even wore the captaincy armband for the first time after Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was stretchered off. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, the 27-year-old spoke about the goalkeeper’s injury. Here is what he had to say:
“This victory goes to Ter Stegen. We know how important he is to us. He is a special person on and off the pitch, he is always helping and this victory is for him.”
The Brazilian then went on to speak about the importance of bouncing back from the AS Monaco setback midweek in the Champions League. He continued:
“We knew the response we had to give after the game against Monaco and I think we did well. There are players who, despite not playing as much, train very well to wait for their opportunity, and for those who have not yet arrived, I am sure that they will be ready. We have a great team with a lot of quality and all of them can be in the starting eleven.”
Raphinha also reflected on his impressive start to the season but showed practicality by acknowledging that he needed to continue the good work. He said:
“Since I became a Barça player, this is my best start to the season, but I think that what’s done is done. I’m much happier with the team’s victory than with my two goals. We played today and won, but now we have to think about Getafe.”
It was the last part of the interview that truly summarized Raphinha as a Barcelona player. The 27-year-old explained what wearing the Barcelona jersey means to him and his ‘kissing the crest’ celebration. He said:
“This club is quite special to me. I’d be lying if I said I’ve been a Barça fan since I was born, but I grew up and saw how the club played, with so many players who inspired me, so being able to wear this shirt and demonstrate my work here is special to me. So there’s no better way for me to show and thank the fans for their support than by kissing the crest.”
Raphinha has turned the fanbase in his favor in these first few months of the season. His impact has been incredible. In the absence of Ter Stegen, he took over captaincy like he has been doing all his life and it was visible against Villarreal.
One can only hope that the Brazilian attacker can continue in the same form for the entire season and help Barcelona win trophies. The club is lucky to have a player like Raphinha and let’s hope we get the best out of him going forward.
