"I was close": How Raphinha almost went to the European Championship with Italy
Today, Raphinha is one of the best attacking players in the world and is an integral part of the Brazilian national team. Five years ago, things were very different – and FC Barcelona's top scorer almost ended up with the Squadra Azzurra.
Brazilian in the service of FC Barcelona: Raphinha. IMAGO/Guillermo Martinez
After the 3-3 draw against Inter Milan, the name Lamine Yamal once again dominated the headlines. Of course, the 17-year-old prodigy had finally given the game a new twist with a stunning solo effort and instep shot after FC Barcelona's poor start, and he continued to be the lynchpin of the Catalans' attacking play. He nearly led them to victory with a shot that hit the crossbar shortly before the final whistle.
The homegrown player has now contributed five goals and four assists to the Blaugrana's Champions League run this year. However, Yamal lags far behind a teammate in both the internal and external rankings: Raphinha .
With a whopping twelve goals and ten assists, the Brazilian leads the Champions League scoring charts, and recently against Inter, he also played a major role in the spectacle with two assists. That the winger is one of the best in his field is undisputed. But just a few years ago, the now 28-year-old was far from competing with the best – and thus also from being called up to the Brazilian national team, of which he is now an integral part.
At the age of his congenial partner Yamal, who was crowned European champion last summer the day after his 17th birthday, Raphinha was far from on the Selecao's radar. Certainly not for the senior national team, but the attacker, whose star only gradually rose in his early 20s, also played no role in the South Americans' plans for the youth ranks. It wasn't until October 2021, a few weeks before his 25th birthday, that Raphinha made his first appearance in the national team's kit.
In Brazil, one can probably consider oneself lucky to even be able to see the 33-time international player (eleven goals) in their own colors.
"I was close to accepting the call"Just a year and a half before his debut for Brazil, Raphinha almost decided otherwise – and, like Yamal, could possibly call himself a European champion today. His father has roots in Italy, which the Italian association had also noticed. Before the 2020 finals, in which the Squadra Azzurra would later triumph, the attacker, who was then still playing for Stade Rennes and largely unknown internationally, was approached – and almost succeeded, as Raphinha confirmed in an interview with Italian journalist Isabela Pagliari.
"I was close to accepting the call," Raphinha said. "I was supposed to go to Euro 2020, which they won. Basically, I was ready to go." He received numerous calls at that time; players like Jorginho , also a Brazilian and now an Italian international, were "constantly calling" him in an attempt to convince the winger to switch associations.
First, however, he would have had to acquire Italian citizenship, which thwarted his mission at the last minute – much to the delight of the present-day Raphinha. "Luckily, my Italian passport wasn't ready in time," he rejoices today, after "deep down there was still that one percent hope" of "being able to wear the Brazilian jersey."
Raphinha participated in the 2022 World Cup finals with the Selecao, reaching the quarterfinals in Qatar with the record world champions. With FC Barcelona, he won the 2022/23 league title and has also lifted the Spanish Cup. However, the Champions League top scorer is still missing a major trophy. To change that, he must eliminate the Italian champions with the Catalans on Tuesday evening—as a Brazilian, not as an Italian.
