Former Leeds United trainer reveals Raphinha’s secret: ‘His dream was to…’
· Yahoo Sports
Visit xsportfeed.life for more information.
Long before Raphinha became one of Barcelona’s leaders and a football superstar, the Brazilian already knew where he wanted his career to take him.
His rise to stardom at the Catalan club has been incredible to watch, and there is a case to be made that he is the best player in the world at the moment.
His dream was Barça, inspired by one of the club’s greatest Brazilian icons.
Barcelona were always the dream
As quoted by Diario SPORT, former Leeds United fitness coach and rehabilitation specialist Alejandro Lorenzo gave insight into the ambition that drove Raphinha.
“I asked him about the Spanish league, and he always told me that his dream was to play for Barca because of Ronaldinho, who was his favourite player,” Lorenzo revealed.
Raphinha eventually achieved that ambition in 2022, but Lorenzo had already seen enough at Leeds to believe Barcelona were getting an exceptional footballer.
“It was crazy, something I’d never seen before,” he recalled.
Raphinha has always dreamt of a move to Barcelona. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
“During rehabilitation, I remember we did a finishing exercise. Out of 20 shots, he put 19 into the top corner.”
His physical output was equally remarkable. Leeds were among Europe’s most intense running teams under Marcelo Bielsa, yet Lorenzo says Raphinha still stood above his team-mates.
“We were the team that covered the most metres at high intensity and made the most sprints in Europe because of Bielsa’s style, and he did the most by far.”
The work behind Raphinha’s rise
That intensity has become central to Raphinha’s identity at Barcelona.
Lorenzo described him as an extremely professional player who was constantly searching for marginal gains.
At Leeds, Raphinha even installed a hyperbaric chamber at home and regularly discussed nutrition and recovery with the club’s fitness staff.
“He doesn’t have a fourth gear, he’s always in fifth,” Lorenzo said.
Raphinha’s intensity has been visible since his Leeds days. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
That mentality helps explain why Hansi Flick has been able to develop Raphinha into a more complete attacker, capable of playing across the front line.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Lorenzo’s story is that Raphinha did not simply dream of wearing the Barcelona shirt. Once he got there, he had to fight to establish himself.
Lorenzo never doubted his potential.
“I knew he was a player who was going to mark a before and after. He was going to define an era.”
Most players feel they have achieved everything when they secure their dream move, but Raphinha has constantly improved every season.
The version of him that currently leads the line for Barcelona is markedly different from the one that played at Elland Road all those years ago.
It remains to be seen how Raphinha fares this season and whether he can maintain his scoring form in the coming months.