Barcelona on alert over Raphinha: 35,000km and Brazil injury fear | OneFootball

Barcelona has reasons to be on alert over Raphinha. The Brazilian is probably enjoying the best form of his career, but he will have to temporarily leave the club to make a long trip with his national team and play three friendlies in Asia and Oceania.

The forward has racked up 14 goals and three assists in this spectacular start to the season, but he will now have to travel nearly 35,000 kilometers to take part in Brazil’s fixtures, a situation that is causing concern around the blaugrana camp because of his recent history.

Raphinha goes around the world with Brazil

The Brazilian national team, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, will play three matches during this international break.

Brazil will face Australia on September 25 in Townsville, play Australia again on September 29 in Brisbane, and wrap up the tour against India on October 3 in Kolkata.

Barcelona will not play again until October 10, when they host Getafe, so in principle there would be enough time for Raphinha to return, rest, and rejoin the team.

However, the problem is not only the schedule. The toll of the travel, the time changes, and the physical load of three matches are all factors Barça will have to monitor.

The Boston precedent is a concern

The concern has a specific reason. Raphinha has already suffered a major injury while away with Brazil.

At the end of March, the attacker was injured during the friendly between France and Brazil in Boston. On that occasion, a bursting run near halftime ended up causing a hamstring injury in his right thigh.

The issue came at a particularly delicate point in the season and ended up ruling him out of the Champions League quarterfinals, an absence that Barcelona ultimately felt.

Now, the situation is different: Raphinha arrives at the training camp in peak physical condition and as one of the standout figures in the blaugrana side. Precisely for that reason, any problem during the international break would represent a major blow for the team.

A player who rarely holds back

Raphinha has become a key piece for Barcelona not only because of his numbers. His intensity, personality, and ability to inspire the rest of the team have turned him into one of the dressing room’s leaders.

The problem is that same intensity can also work against him.

The Brazilian does not usually hold back, and his style of play constantly pushes him to the physical limit. That is why one of the main questions during this camp will be how Ancelotti manages his minutes and what level of intensity the three friendlies will have.

It will also be important to see how Raphinha responds after the long trips and the time change.

Barça can only keep their fingers crossed

The forward arrives for this call-up with special motivation. After a previous season in which he became one of the team’s leaders, he even cut short his vacation to join Barcelona’s preseason earlier.

His start to the campaign reflects that ambition: 14 goals and three assists, numbers that have once again placed him among the leading figures in European football.

Now he will have to travel across the world with Brazil and return just before a demanding stretch for Barcelona.

The international calendar is not under the club’s control. As Hansi Flick acknowledged, Barça are obliged to accept the situation and trust that Raphinha returns healthy.

For now, the only certainty is that Barcelona will be keeping their fingers crossed while their main attacking star takes on a 35,000-kilometer tour with Brazil.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.