Ahead of his move to Barcelona, and genuinely impressive fight to win prominence at the Catalan club, Raphinha had impressed at Leeds United, which brought him to the attention of the Blaugrana.
In the 2020/21 season, he helped the Whites to a 9th-placed finish and across two seasons, the winger terrorised defences in the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.
That is exactly what the Brazilian did to Real Madrid for Barcelona yesterday, grabbing a brace in a 4-3 win for the Catalan side.
After the game, he spoke to DSports and he seemed emotional about his time at Leeds United. The wide player shared his appreciation Bielsa and the role he played in advancing his career at Elland Road.
He said, as relayed by MDZol: “He was the person responsible for getting me to play in the Premier League, which was my dream, and being able to enjoy that moment with him was something special.”
Raphinha had further praise for the Argentine coach and said that Bielsa’s influence is one of the factors in him now shining for Barcelona.
“In the end, he’s given me a lot. I have to thank him a lot for being here, because if Barça was interested in me, it was because of the work I did at Leeds, and especially the work Marcelo made me do. I’m very grateful to him, forever.”
The 28-year-old values his time at Leeds United, and has repeatedly been happy to credit his time in Yorkshire for his success now.
Under Bielsa, Raphinha operated in a system that was high-intensity and relied a lot on pressing and running. Those traits have been very important for him under Hansi Flick at the Camp Nou this season.