"Ever since I arrived in Barcelona, there has been speculation about my departure from the club right from day one," said Raphinha, addressing the Spanish media in no uncertain terms: "There's a bloke out there who's simply lying." The 29-year-old did not name this "bloke," yet it is clear which report had him so worked up.
The Barcelona-based newspaper Sport had reported in early May that Raphinha had "existential doubts" he had supposedly discovered during a recent "period of self-reflection". According to the article, he had informed the club of this and left the door open to staying. The forward insists, however, that none of that ever happened.