29-year-old Barcelona star admits he is a doubt for Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Despite being one of the very best players in the world in the last season, the FC Barcelona forward Raphinha did not receive the recognition that one would have expected him to get at the highest level. This was quite clear with his position in the Ballon d’Or ranking and his exclusion from the FIFPro XI.

However, he is still receiving some awards, and the latest that he received was the Best Sportsman of the Year at Toresky Awards, which was organized by Cadena Ser on World Radio Day, on Monday.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Brazilian forward also talked to the media after getting the award, and was quite pessimistic about his chances of making it in time for the upcoming game against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey:

“I’m better, we’re taking it day by day. We’ll see if I’m fit for Thursday, but we’ll wait. There are chances, but we all know how injuries go. I miss the team.”

When asked again about his chances, the player said:

“I can’t lie to you — I’d love to say that I can play on Thursday, but I’m a bit tight.”

Raphinha also explained his celebration style:

“The celebration is one that Gael, my son, does with my wife. One day, he scored a goal like that at home, and the idea came up.”

He also talked about the way he celebrates with Lamine Yamal:

“We saw the celebration on social media and talked about doing it. It went really well. Whenever one of us scores, we do it. It’s a way of showing the affection we have for each other.”

When asked about his preference for either the UEFA Champions League or the FIFA World Cup, the Brazilian winger was not too clear:

Hopefully, Raphinha would go on to win as many trophies as possible in the coming months and seasons. But for now, he will have to ensure he returns to his best level as soon as possible for Barcelona.