Barcelona star admits Hansi Flick convinced him not to leave last summer | OneFootball

A leading member of the attacking ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona has admitted that he took into serious consideration a departure from the club last summer.

The player in question? Raphinha.

Wide-man Raphinha is for his part of course in the midst of nothing short of a spectacular individual season to date.

Looking like a player reborn in the free-flowing system employed by Hansi Flick, the Brazilian has established himself as one of the standout performers in all of world football.

All told, across 42 appearances in all competitions this season, Raphinha has notched a whopping 47 direct goal contributions.

And yet, had things played out just a little differently, such excellence could have been showcased on the books of one of Europe’s other leading clubs.

This comes with the 27-year-old having been taking into real consideration a Camp Nou exit last summer.

Speaking during an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo this week, in quotes cited by Fabrizio Romano, Raphinha provided an insight into the key role played by Hansi Flick in his decision to stay put in Catalunya’s capital for this season:

“I was thinking about leaving Barça after the Copa América. I wasn’t feeling mentally comfortable until Flick called me. Every day, there were rumors about me signing for one team or another. Things didn’t go as they should have; I had a worse season than expected, and I saw people asking me to leave while reports of my departure surfaced daily. I seriously considered leaving.

“Hansi Flick called me and asked me to come to training before making a decision because he wanted to talk to me and counted on me. That was a turning point in my decision to stay. I spoke with my wife and told her: If this man is fair and sees the effort I put into training, I’ll make him want me in a week, and he won’t regret it. And I think I was right.”

Conor Laird – GSFN