Raphinha: a comeback to restore Barcelona’s spirit | OneFootball

“I don’t know how he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or.” That’s how Diego Simeone referred to the Brazilian Raphinha on Tuesday, the standout player in Barcelona’s comeback against Atlético de Madrid (3-1) at Camp Nou.

The gradual return of the Brazilian gave meaning to Hansi Flick’s tactical scheme, which is based on high pressing to recover possession and create dangerous plays.

After being sidelined for two months due to a right leg injury, Raphinha started by playing ten minutes in his team’s win over Athletic Bilbao (4-0). Then, he played half an hour in the defeat to Chelsea (3-0) and sixty minutes against Alavés (3-1), a match in which he contributed two assists.

Against Simeone’s team, the winger never tired of encouraging his teammates to keep up the high press in the attacking third. Exhausted, he ended up asking to be substituted in the 73rd minute. Before that, he had scored the equalizer after a pass from Pedri, getting past Jan Oblak and creating space to receive the ball.

“I’m trying to regain my best physical form and, naturally, I felt a bit tired in such a demanding match,” Raphinha said after the game.

Precious goals

The 28-year-old is looking to rediscover his best form after an exceptional season last year, when he scored 34 goals and provided 26 assists in 57 matches, establishing himself as one of the best players in Europe.

However, Raphinha finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or voting and was left out of the FIFPro World XI.

The Brazilian publicly expressed his discontent, citing the domestic treble won with Barcelona, as well as his personal statistics.

“I like him a lot. He plays in every position, wherever you put him. And he scores beautiful goals. I don’t know how he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. I choose him,” praised Diego ‘El Cholo’ Simeone.

On Saturday, Raphinha will have another opportunity to show “how good he is,” as his coach says, against Betis at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville, in yet another big test for Barcelona, who have 37 points, one more than their closest pursuer, Real Madrid.

The ‘Merengues’, who ended a run of three consecutive draws by beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mamés on Wednesday, will face Celta de Vigo on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu.

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