There has been a lot of development at FC Barcelona under the leadership of Hansi Flick. The team already seems to be playing with a much clearer mindset and blueprint in terms of how to execute their plans. Moreover, most individual players at Barcelona have also been thriving under Flick.
Arguably the most notable of those players in terms of improvement, however, is Raphinha. The 27-year-old Brazilian forward seems to have found his perfect place in this Barcelona team and he has been displaying his quality both in terms of his statistics and his overall impact on this team.
In fact, he has also been named as one of the team’s captains for this season and it is definitely something that the player takes pride in. With six goals and five assists across all competitions this season so far, his overall evolution has been rather commendable.
Recently, as highlighted by SPORT, the player even spoke about his improvement at Barcelona and highlighted three major reasons that enabled him to achieve this version of himself:
“I’m in one of the best moments of my career, I can guarantee that… First, the time I’ve spent at Barcelona has helped; then, there’s the change in mentality, adapting to different positions to play and succeed; and lastly, the work you put in, regardless of whether things go your way or not.”
He also revealed that he was initially sceptical about changing his position this season, an issue that had caused him some problems in the previous campaign as well, but the Barcelona star revealed that a change of mindset allowed him to look at it positively as well:
“I think the change happened when I realized that if I wanted to play for Barcelona or the Seleçao, I’d have to adapt to any position, because there’s a lot of competition and you’re alongside players of immense quality.”
For him, playing across multiple positions would only amplify and increase his chances of remaining on the pitch longer and being able to contribute more to both Barcelona and his country as well:
“However, over time, I started to understand that to play for a great team like Barça or the Seleçao, you have to be open to changes. We must be willing to evolve, whether or not we’re playing in our preferred position.”
As for his selection as one of the captains for this season, the €50 million-rated Barcelona forward is clear that his personality and leadership qualities are the reason behind his selection:
“If I was chosen as one of Barcelona’s captains, something I’m very proud of, it’s because of my personality… I try to help those who join the club, whether they’re from the academy or come from elsewhere. I want their adaptation to be as smooth as possible.”
While Raphinha has been crucial for Barcelona this season, his current focus has now shifted to the international scene. In the upcoming games for Brazil, he will be hoping to lead a team that desperately needs a leader with both Vinicius Jr and Neymar Jr being unavailable for selection.
