Raphinha opens up on special relationship with Hansi Flick – ‘Believed in me when no one did’ | OneFootball

Raphinha’s return from injury, quite clearly, is the point where Barcelona’s campaign turned around this season and it is no coincidence that the team went on a dominant run after the Chelsea defeat when he was back at his peak powers.

Unsurprisingly, even Barcelona’s only defeat after that point came against Real Sociedad – a night when the Brazilian was unavailable through discomfort.

After all, he is not only an impactful forward but a leader, a trusted aide of the manager and a warrior on the field, all of which add up to making him an irreplaceable figure.

Raphinha speaks on Hansi Flick

In a recent interview with SofaScore, the Barcelona captain opened up on his special bond with Hansi Flick and why he had such a special place in his heart for the German manager.

“[Hansi] Flick [was] the one who believed in me when no one did, not even myself. So I can only thank him,” he began.

“He’s the person who practically made me deliver the best season of my career. The best season of my entire football life. He’s the one who made me compete for individual awards,” he added on Flick’s importance in his career.

Going beyond the field, he also explained how the manager had a far more profound impact on him as a person.

“He made me rediscover my place in the world of football and also made me understand myself as a person. A huge part of what happened last season and what’s happening now is thanks to him.”

“So I have nothing but gratitude for him for everything I’ve been through,” he added.

A special bond. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

He was then asked about the touching photo of him consoling Flick after the team’s performance against Deportivo Alaves, which went viral, and he explained why the manager was in a poor mood at that moment.

“I think he was a bit annoyed because of the assistant’s sending off. Later, he talked about it, but he was also a bit dissatisfied with the team’s performance.”

“So I tried to calm him down, and told him that we would come back, and that we are rediscovering ourselves. And that the most important thing in that moment was for the team to win, which we achieved,” he added.

“I think we really are rediscovering ourselves,” he concluded positively.

On being one of the captains

The player then opened up on how he embraced the responsibility of being a captain of the first team and how he was a natural leader.

“I feel immense pride in carrying the leadership badge. This is something I earned from the day I arrived due to my way of dealing with things, and because of the person I am.”

“It’s natural for me, as I always try to help my teammates to the utmost. I try to get them to give their all on the field.”

“I think it’s not something forced or imposed, but something very natural, like a reward for being one of the team’s leaders,” he elaborated.

Leading from the front. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

He was then asked how it felt to be a trusted aide of the coach who even acts as an intermediary between Flick and the players to get ideas across, to which he said,

“As I told you from the beginning, it’s a natural thing. It’s not something contrived or imposed. It’s a relationship that developed over time with mutual affection from both sides. From him toward me and from me toward him.”

“So it’s something natural. A trust we’ve built and a space of freedom we’ve created. He has the freedom to talk to me about anything. And he extends that freedom to me too, so that I can talk to him about anything,” he elaborated.

“And I think the most important thing is that we have this trust so we can work in the best possible way,” he concluded.

On the defeat to Inter last season

Raphinha was then asked about the heartbreaking defeat to Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League, especially after his late goal seemingly was enough to send the team through to the final.

“I think we had one foot in the final, let’s say that, from the moment we scored the third goal. But unfortunately, we didn’t have enough maturity to do what many more experienced teams do, which is that after the third goal, there was no longer a match.”

“We should have just defended and not conceded any goal. We were very close to the final, and I think we got a bit carried away with the flow of the match. The match became a bit open, and we didn’t know how to control it,” he added.