Crysencio Summerville and Raphinha are quite easily two of the best wingers Leeds United have had on the books in the last decade and possibly, this century.
Bought from Glen Kamara’s Rennes in the summer of 2022, Raphinha was an instant hit at Elland Road and often won games by himself. The 1-0 win away at Everton comes to mind, Raphinha’s first Leeds goal.
So does his performance in the 2-1 win away at Brentford to keep Leeds in the Premier League at the end of the 2022-23 season. He won a penalty and scored it, his performance pretty much keeping Leeds up.
That summer of course, Raphinha left Leeds and joined Barcelona for a fee of £55m. After an indifferent first couple of seasons, Raphinha is on fire this time around as he dons the Barcelona captain’s armband.
Raphinha of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and UD Las Palmas at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Compan...
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Summerville picks Raphinha as the best he’s played with so far
Not just at Leeds, but his whole career. Like Raphinha, Summerville has left Leeds for big money and joined Premier League side West Ham where the Dutchman is still trying to find his best form.
Summerville delighted Leeds fans when scoring against Manchester United, but he’s still yet to go and explode for the Hammers. Speaking to Voetbal Primeur, he says Raphinha is the best he’s played with.
“I always say this to everyone in my circle: Raphinha is the best player I’ve ever played with. What I’ve seen from him. Not only his gift and his talent, but also the work he puts in. It’s absurd,” Summerville said.
Summerville has played alongside some excellent players so far
At Leeds, Summerville shared the pitch with £40m stars in the likes of Georginio Rutter and Archie Gray. Kalvin Phillips too, who is no longer the player he was under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds.
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Raphinha’s three seasons at Barcelona in numbers:
Season Games (Starts) Wins Goals Assists Trophies
2022-23 50 (35) 34 10 12 La LigaCopa Del Rey
2023-24 37 (25) 24 10 13 N/A
2024-25 20 (19) 15 14 10 N/A so far…
At West Ham, Summerville is alongside Raphinha’s Brazil teammate Lucas Paqueta who has to be up there with the best he’s played with. Ghana sensation Mohamed Kudus cannot be far behind Raphinha.
But it is testament to just how good Raphinha is, that Summerville picked him as the best. Raphinha is finally showing what he can do with no limits, and Harry Gray thinks Raphinha is the best in the world.
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