Leeds United’s Junior Firpo has admitted he wouldn’t have seen Raphinha’s rise at Barcelona coming, even though he was posting outrageous numbers at Elland Road.
[DAZN cover comments](https://www.dazn.com/es-MX/news/futbol/junior-firpo-analiza-erasmus-fc-meteorica-evolucion-raphinha-salio-leeds-united-ni-el-mismo-vio-venir/1qf38m2allqob1r1uv5sspyitu) from the defender today in which he discusses his former teammate his impressive season at Barcelona.
Raphinha made his mark in the Premier League with Leeds from 2020 to 2022 before going on to join Barcelona in a €58m deal.
He initially struggled at the Camp Nou and there was constant talk about him being sold on, particularly among their financial struggles.
That talk is now a thing of the past, though, as he’s flourished under Hansi Flick’s leadership this season.
He currently has 30 goals and 25 assists in 51 games in all competitions and bagged two assists this week in the 3-3 draw with Inter Milan. It was also his stunning strike that hit Yann Sommer off the crossbar to level the game in the 65th minute.
It was another big evening for the Barcelona star, who is one of the leading candidates for he Ballon D’or and likely to continue adding to his numbers before the season ends.
Few would have seen this success coming, but Firpo admits even at Leeds United he was posting outrageous numbers, even behind the scenes.
“He never stopped running, he never stopped sprinting,” he said.
“He was putting up numbers in terms of high-intensity metres and sprints per game that were out of the ordinary. It was outrageous, and you never saw a single cramp in him. It was incredible.
“And, obviously, then you surround him with the great players Barça has, and he improves. I think that’s what has him where he is today. But you also have to give all the credit to his personality and his winning mentality. And Raphinha already had that here.”