Barcelona superstar left with bitter taste after difficult campaign where he missed 26 games | OneFootball

The 2025-26 campaign was not an easy one for Barcelona’s Raphinha, neither at the club level nor at the country level.

After completing a 2024-25 season as one of the most in-form players on the planet and a Ballon d’Or contender, the Brazilian suffered for most of the recently concluded campaign with injuries and fitness troubles.

The player’s season officially ended last night with Brazil’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup. He did not play a single minute on the night through injury, and it is safe to say that his campaign ending followed the same theme that most of his season followed.

26 games missed

As relayed in a recent update by MARCA, the numbers from Raphinha’s recent season narrate the complete story of how devastating injuries were for the player.

Over the course of the season, the winger missed a staggering 26 games through fitness setbacks, marking one of his worst professional campaigns.

Injuries took a toll on Raphinha this season. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

His first setback arrived towards the end of September when he injured his biceps femoris and faced a layoff period of two months. In that duration, he missed 13 games for club and country including El Clasico and a clash against PSG.

He returned in November, but was back on the sidelines in January when he missed the game against Real Sociedad due to discomfort.

A few weeks later, he missed three games through a niggle including the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Atletico Madrid.

At the end of March, however, he suffered the worst of his setbacks and missed the business end of the season with seven games missed for club and country. That spell hurt the club in particular, especially in the UEFA Champions League.

Hoping to bounce back strongly. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Most recently, he suffered another thigh blow against Haiti in the FIFA World Cup, missing three games including the clash against Norway where Brazil were eliminated. 

A crucial recovery period

SPORT further highlight that the recent campaign has taken a toll on the player and that Raphinha deeply regrets having such a fragile season where he let his club and country down.

What is important, however, is ensuring the player is past it and fit for the upcoming campaign without being injury-prone.

He now begins his recovery process with the sole aim of being fit for the upcoming campaign before preseason, and Barcelona are also committed to helping him achieve that goal.

The club will maintain a close eye on the winger’s situation and fitness ahead of the new season. After all, he is irreplaceable in Flick’s setup and having him fit is a non negotiable for the manager.