Deco also offered his take on Brazilian forward Raphinha, who had generated exit talk of his own before going on to become a Ballon d’Or contender: “Raphinha is returning to his best level, he is very important for the team, he is a player who drives the team, who presses, who inspires, who works hard, who scores goals... he is a key player for us.”
On the rumours that once raged around Raphinha, with the decision being made not to cash in: “We've been saying for two years that this team needs to improve, not get worse. The idea has always been to keep this team together because we knew perfectly well the quality they had. We had no interest in selling any player. Raphinha was in our plans and has always shown that he wants to be at the club, he wants to make history here.”
Barcelona sit four points clear of Clasico rivals Real Madrid - who they beat in Saudi Arabia to savour Super Cup success - in the Liga table and also remain in the hunt for Copa del Rey and Champions League honours.