Besiktas president snubs Rafa, Benfica star still causing trouble | OneFootball

The president of Besiktas, Serdar Adali, recently held a press conference to introduce the new signings of the Turkish club and to thank the players who left in the last winter transfer window. Despite listing several athletes, the Turkish leader excluded Rafa Silva, something that did not go unnoticed.

In the list of acknowledgments, Adali mentioned athletes such as Mert Gunok, Gabriel Paulista, Jonas Svensson, David Jurásek, Demir Ege Tiknaz, and Tammy Abraham. However, Rafa's name, who left Besiktas to return to Benfica in January, was not mentioned at any point.

The player's departure to Benfica, made official on January 22 after a long and sometimes tense negotiation process, still continues to generate repercussions in Istanbul, where the transfer was seen as one of the standout moments of the winter market.

The absence of the former Portuguese international's name from the list of thanks ended up being interpreted as a sign that the forward's departure - who achieved a particular record in the last game - remains a sensitive issue at Besiktas, even after the player returned to Luz.

This season, with the jersey of Benfica, Rafa Silva - valued at 5 million euros - has already played a total of three matches since returning to the Clube da Luz. In the 133 minutes he has accumulated in the Liga Portugal Betclic, the Portuguese star showed good signs.

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