‘I closed my eyes to other teams‘ — Barcelona star Raphinha explains why he rejected Chelsea move back in 2022 | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to face Chelsea in the Champions League tonight, in a clash between two teams that have operated with very different ideologies on squad building in recent seasons.

Although the two clubs have not faced each other much in recent years, their paths overlapped in the transfer market, especially in 2022 when Barcelona pipped Chelsea to the signatures of both Raphinha and Kounde.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Raphinha explained why he turned down a move to Chelsea back then. He said:

“Since my last match with Leeds, I knew about the possibility of wearing the Barça shirt, and I was aware of Chelsea’s interest. But I had a dream that I had to fulfill, and I gave 100% to be able to wear the Barça shirt. I closed my eyes to other teams that wanted to sign me. I had a dream, and I did everything possible to play for Barça.”

Barcelona had to use a number of financial levers to sign Raphinha that summer, and it took him a couple of seasons and a change of manager for him to come into his own. Since the arrival of Hansi Flick, however, his career has gone to another level.

Raphinha is one of the best players in the world at the moment, and it is hard to overstate how much Barcelona have missed him over the past couple of months. His impact was immediate when he came on against Athletic Club at the weekend.

Although the Brazilian winger is not expected to start against Chelsea, he could have a crucial role to play off the bench. For now, fans will be glad that Raphinha chose to turn down a move to Stamford Bridge in favour of Barcelona, and let us hope he continues to be key for the club in seasons to come.