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He's come into his own...

We’re delighted to announce that Raphinha is morphing into Neymar one golazo at a time

Mitchell Wilks •

Raphinha’s career path might echo that of a perfectly linear trajectory, but his rise to stardom hasn’t been as straightforward as one might assume.

Born and raised in a favela in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Raphinha had to learn about survival from a young age.

Isolated from Brazil’s major cities and introduced to the world in some of the toughest circumstances imaginable, the early and formative years of his life involved practices and conventions that many of us are too privileged to ever be able to truly understand.

Having to beg for food and struggle to pay his way for basics such as transportation, while living cramped alongside parents, siblings and pets, it would’ve been incredibly easy for Raphinha to fall into a troublesome pathway.

Expected, even.

He told UOL Esporte himself about watching friends become sucked into a life of crime, where money was unfortunately too accessible: “They promise an easier way to earn money. And that’s where people get lost. I never got out of the way, but I was a witness, I walked alongside people who were getting lost.

“I lost many friends in the world of crime, in drug trafficking… Friends who played ten times better than me and who could have been in a great soccer club in the world.”

The most damning part is that Raphinha is far from the only footballer with such a story. However, it makes his rise to prominence in the game all the more admirable, and his recent ascent to superstardom feels incredible to witness.

He simply wasn’t meant to make it. But he has. The boy from Porto Alegre who shared the same dream as millions is now living it, donning Brazil’s iconic number 10 shirt and slapping in free-kicks with technique and attitude in abundance, while paying homage to his nation’s fellow greats.

That’s why we’re desperate to give Raphinha some long overdue flowers, as he ascends to a new level of f*cking brilliant.

Even after ‘making it’ by starting a professional career with Vitoria Guimaraes and earning a move to Sporting CP, it’s never been straightforward.

Chasing the dream in a fashion almost as desperate as we chase a loose ball while out of puff at Powerleague on a cold, midweek night, Raphinha swapped Portugal for France and shortly after headed from Brittany to Britain, for a date with the M62 and more of West Yorkshire’s finest sights.

Seriously, imagine that pathway. From the favelas of Brazil, to Portugal, to France, to Leeds. It’s nigh-on incomprehensible and adapting must be like nothing else.

When you’re as resilient as Raphinha, though, nothing will stop you from reaching the promised land. Not with the drive and determination to match a wicked left foot, skills to pay off the mortgage and freakish ability to glide past players.

Oh – and of course an outrageous ability to dispatch it from dead-ball situations. We’ve made the decision to add ‘free-kick expert’ to your CV.

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That’s his 23rd goal contribution already this season for club and country, having absolutely flew out of the gates for Barcelona under Hansi Flick.

Crucially, it’s his first for Brazil with the number 10 shirt on his back. An iconic shirt worn by the likes of Kaka, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, even Pele.

And of course none other than Neymar, who Raphinha paid homage to in celebration.

The dream move to La Blaugrana from Leeds in 2022 felt like one he was always good enough for, but it also felt like it took a while for the wheels to begin turning.

After a few speculative links with a return to the Premier League, though, the 27-year-old has returned with a vengeance in his third season at the club, where things seem to have clicked.

His first goal as Brazil’s number 10 while paying homage to Neymar – a Brazilian Barcelona icon himself – feels like a passing of the torch moment.

With a Champions League hat-trick against Bayern Munich to his name and one of the best free-kicks you’ll see all season viciously whipped into a helpless net, Raphinha has gone clear of ‘flash in the pan’ allegations.

The cat is out of the bag. Be it a glorious duo alongside Neymar or a case of finishing the story he started, there’s no doubt Brazil have a star waiting in the wings for the 2026 World Cup.

By Mitch Wilks

Raphinha Barcelona Brazil