Raphinha Had One Foot Out of Barcelona, but Hansi Flick Changed Everything

Raphinha Had Already Decided to Leave Barcelona

Raphinha had already made up his mind: he wanted to leave Barcelona. His future appeared to lie away from Catalonia in the summer of 2024 until the arrival of Hansi Flick led to a conversation that changed everything.

“In my head, I knew I was leaving. That was done, that’s the truth,” the Brazilian admitted. Raphinha was in Brazil when Flick called and asked him to speak before making a final decision. The new coach told him he trusted him, that he would be important and that the team’s style of play would suit him.

A few words at exactly the right time were enough. “I felt a lot of faith in me. He gave me the confidence to play my football,” Raphinha explained. Since then, he says his relationship with Flick has transformed far more than his performances: “I always have and always will say that he changed my mentality, changed me as a person.”

From the Exit Door to Becoming Indispensable

Raphinha’s response on the field was emphatic. He exploded in the 2024-25 season with 34 goals and 26 assists in 57 appearances, establishing himself as one of the key figures in a team that went on to win the domestic title.

A year later, he celebrated another league crown. Despite dealing with fitness problems during the 2025-26 campaign, he still finished with 21 goals and eight assists in 33 games, fully vindicating the confidence Flick had shown in him from the moment he arrived.

Their connection has also gone well beyond football. Raphinha said he can talk to his coach about almost anything and recalled finding Flick frustrated after a victory because he was unhappy with the team’s performance. For the Brazilian, that openness became a major part of rediscovering his best form.

The Captaincy Changed Raphinha Too

Raphinha’s rise at Barcelona has not only been about goals. Being voted captain by his teammates triggered another major shift in how he viewed his own role inside the dressing room.

“When I saw people had voted for me, it was like a switch had been flipped,” he said. Raphinha admitted he never expected to enjoy the responsibility so much, but wearing the armband helped him understand just how important he had become to the group.

His leadership does not necessarily come through big speeches either. The Brazilian prefers to lead by example: “People think: ‘If this guy’s running like an animal, I have to follow.’ If you talk too much and then don’t do what you have to, people aren’t going to listen.”

Raphinha Closing In on a Return Against Real Betis

Now the focus is back on the field. Raphinha suffered a thigh injury while on international duty with Brazil on September 29 and missed the recent games against Getafe and Galatasaray, but he has already returned to partial training with the first team.

The injury interrupted a remarkable start to the season. The forward had already scored 14 goals in just eight appearances across all competitions, matching a Barcelona mark previously reached only by Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.

His recovery could come at the perfect time. Raphinha is expected to have a chance of making the squad for Saturday’s trip to Real Betis as Barça return to LaLiga. Two years after he was practically packing his bags, Raphinha is no longer fighting to find a place at Barcelona — he has become one of the players Flick’s project is built around.

The Conversation That Changed Raphinha’s Barcelona Story

• Raphinha admitted he had already decided to leave Barcelona before Hansi Flick arrived in 2024.
• The German convinced him to stay, and the Brazilian responded with 55 goals over the following two seasons.
• After recovering from a thigh injury, Raphinha is closing in on a return against Real Betis following a 14-goal start in eight games.

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