Hansi Flick’s call persuaded Raphinha to stay at Barcelona

Raphinha had already decided to leave Barcelona when Hansi Flick got in touch. The coach asked him to make no decision before they had spoken, then told him he believed in his abilities and in the role he could play in the team. The call changed the course of events: Raphinha regained confidence and strengthened his place at the club.

The Brazilian player says he did not feel sufficiently appreciated. He had come to believe that his time at Barcelona was over, and that feeling had undermined his confidence. “Deep down, I knew I was going to leave; I had already made up my mind,” he said.

Flick’s words mattered at that moment of doubt. “He told me he believed in me and that I would be an important player. At a moment like that, a few words can change you,” Raphinha said. He believes the coach had a lasting effect on his mindset and on him personally: “I’ve always said that Flick changed my mentality and changed me as a person.”

That change was also felt in the dressing room, where his teammates chose him as one of Barcelona’s captains. Raphinha says the responsibility helped him discover leadership qualities he had not fully recognised in himself. “It was as if someone had flicked a switch. The others saw something in me that I hadn’t discovered in myself yet, and that’s what changed me.”

The experience now shapes how he supports younger players. Raphinha values psychological support and communication, and tries in particular to help Lamine Yamal when he loses focus or becomes mentally detached from the match. He also seeks to calm his teammates under pressure. On dealing with young players, he says firmness is sometimes necessary: “Sometimes you have to act like a father, because they’re children. But they understand that. And if you reprimand them, they know you’re doing it for their own good.”

At the start of the season, Raphinha had scored 14 goals and provided 3 assists in Barcelona’s first 8 matches. Beyond its effect on his decision to stay, Flick’s call marked a fresh start: the player who once needed support now seeks to offer it to his younger teammates.