‘A phenomenon’… Marquinhos praises Barcelona winger for his leadership and effort | OneFootball

The FC Barcelona forward Raphinha has taken a big leap in his performance this year and has emerged as one of the best players, not only in the Blaugrana squad but in Spain and Europe at large.

This improvement is evident not only in his performances for his club but also in his role and importance in his national team, which have been greatly enhanced in recent months.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, one of his international teammates, Marquinhos, also recognised the improvement in his game ahead of the game between Brazil and Argentina.

The centre-back praised Raphinha’s mentality and leadership:

“Raphinha is a phenomenon. Now everyone sees his potential and everything he can do, something we had already noticed internally in the national team. We already saw how important he is, his effort, his mentality, and his leadership.”

The defender also highlighted the leadership role that the Barcelona star has taken in his national team:

“He is very intelligent and always offers the right words. He demonstrated that when he hurried Vini and showed himself as a leader and as one of the (possible) captains. He did that because he thought of the group first.”

The Paris Saint Germain defender revealed that Raphinha’s teammates always knew of his quality:

“These are things that weren’t visible from the outside, but people on the inside could already see them.”

There is no doubt about the Brazilian star’s performances this season, as he has already scored 27 goals and provided 20 assists so far. He has arguably been the best player in the Blaugrana frontline that has been among the most deadly attacking lines in Europe this year.

But in addition to the improvement in his performances, the Brazilian has also taken significantly higher leadership responsibilities in recent months, and this is the case not only at Barcelona but also with his national team.