Barcelona Vooruit Raphinha recently spoke about his former coach Xavi in an interview and said that Xavi did not trust him and would not hesitate to apply someone else when he had the choice.
Raphinha is always blunt for the microphone. He is not the kind of player who measures every word, tries to please everyone or weighs the consequences of his statements. He practices a “transparent expression” style – he speaks as openly as he plays, without keeping back.
In an almost an hour -deep interview by colleague Brazilian and highly respected national team, reporter Isabella Paliari on her video channel, Raphinha visited the most important moments of his professional and personal journey and provided various memorable lines. For Barça fans, the most striking part he said about Xavi – who was his coach for the first two years after he came to the club.
“I felt that he and the entire coaching staff did not trust me,” Raphinha said about it. “When no one else was available, I would play the full 90 minutes. I gave everything I had and could influence the game, but as soon as there was someone else who could replace me, he would use them without hesitation.”
He continued passionately: “Sometimes I would play very well, and just past the 60 minutes, I would be removed. That's why I would get so angry when I was immersed.”
“There is an iconic video of mine who stormed back to the bank and crashed it in anger,” he remembered. “It was the match against Manchester United – I had played extremely well, scored a goal and offered an assist. The score was 2-2; I had just created a fantastic chance, and yet he took me. I felt in top form, completely in the rhythm of the game, and I was the first subdivision.”
Raphinha said that his relationship with Xavi eventually became irreparable. “I tried to repair it – we often talked – but I found nothing ever changed. He is stubborn in his views,” he said.
He also revealed that he came very close to leaving Barça last summer. Fresh from the Copa América, he was on vacation when he received a phone call from Hansi Flick, who told him she was waiting for him and that he would get a key role.
At that time, the Brazilian attacker was already prepared to move to Saudi Arabia and even reached to Neymar to learn about life and football there.
The person who finally changed his mind was his wife, Nathália. “I had a deep conversation with her,” he said. “I said to her:” I feel that it would go there, would be good for us. I have reached my dream and I don't have the energy to tackle certain things more. ” She replied, “Do you think that once you have the promised wage there, you still have the drive to train and fight for titles?” She said that the spark had disappeared from my eyes and reminded me: “You know what you really want – and it's not going there.” '
Raphinha continued: “I told her that I still have huge potential. If the new coach is honest, I could win it in a week. It actually cost me less than a week to make Flick a believer.”
Flick is a special coach for Raphinha. “He is the kind of manager who gives each player, whether they start or on the couch. I saw it with Vitinha. He would proactively talk to the club's top about the situation of each player and then talk directly to the player,” Raphinha emphasized.