Report – The true story behind Raphinha’s transition to Barcelona’s leading No. 9 | OneFootball

Raphinha’s numbers as Barcelona’s number nine this season have been tremendous and have shattered all expectations that not only fans held but also which the management and administration maintained.

The Brazilian star has been simply unstoppable for the Catalans so far across all competitions and already has twelve goals and three assists for the club in just seven La Liga games so far. In Europe, he has already scored twice with just one game played.

The plan to field Raphinha as the team’s number nine, however, was only a makeshift solution and never the real plan for Hansi Flick as reported by Santi Ovalle.

The journalist brings the full story of the Brazilian star’s change to a striker in a recent update.

The pre-season idea

Flick did not expect Raphinha to explode to life as a striker. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Indeed, as relayed by the reliable journalist, Hansi Flick deployed Raphinha as an experimental number nine in pre-season. The manager had a word with him and asked him to press like a beast from the very front.

Raphinha did exactly that, and the role suited him to the T. Not even Flick expected such numbers from him, and his adaptation to being a pure striker came as a massive surprise.

The initial idea was for the captain to play this season in the makeshift role and leave for the Saudi League next season to make money. In fact, that was the reason they pushed and signed Anthony Gordon in the summer.

A change in plans

The deserved captain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

After the player’s explosive start to the season, however, he is now widely proclaimed as one of the best players in the world. Barcelona’s long-term plan with Raphinha, understandably, took a sudden twist.

Contract renewal talks soon began with the player and reaching an agreement with the captain was very easy given how both parties had no doubt that they should continue working together.

The club, for its part, immediately rewarded him with a better salary, placing him as the second-highest paid player in the squad alongside Rodri.

The Raphinha-Barcelona fairytale, thus, could well continue for a few more years. Given the form he is in, the player is looking at an explosive and possibly record-breaking season.

All the club’s focus, needless to say, will be on keeping the captain fit. After all, Barcelona with and without Raphinha are two completely different sides.