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Barcelona winger and one of many membership captains Raphinha is, with out query, the most effective Brazilian footballer in the intervening time.
The 28-year-old has been one of the vital influential gamers for the Blaugrana underneath Hansi Flick whereas his performances for the Brazilian nationwide workforce have been nothing wanting spectacular.
Raphinha was one of many stars of the present as Barcelona secured a 1-0 win over Benfica within the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, scoring the one purpose of the sport.
Earlier immediately, the winger acquired extra excellent news as he was chosen within the Brazil squad for his or her upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers towards Colombia and Argentina.
Raphinha a Ballon d’Or contender, says Brazil boss
Chatting with the media after asserting the squad, Brazil supervisor Dorival Junior heaped praises on Raphinha, stating that the Barcelona winger is a candidate to win the Ballon d’Or this 12 months.
“Raphinha is a Ballon d’Or contender,” Dorival Junior said throughout his press convention in Rio de Janeiro, as quoted by SPORT.
“Raphinha confronted heavy criticism in the course of the Copa America, and now he’s a Ballon d’Or candidate,” he additional emphasised.
Brazil boss Dorival Junior backs Raphinha for Ballon d’Or. (Photograph by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Pictures)
Persevering with his reward for the Barcelona winger, the Brazil head coach highlighted the participant’s versatility and dynamism as key traits, saying:
“Raphinha is a really versatile footballer who adapts effectively to any position. With us, he has performed as a winger on each flanks, as a second striker alongside our No. 9, Igor Jesus, and at the same time as a full-back when wanted. He’s a really dynamic participant.”
Robust numbers
Raphinha is having fun with his best-ever season by way of numbers and influence on the pitch, having racked up 25 targets and 18 assists from 40 matches for Barcelona.
With 9 targets and 4 assists from 9 video games, the 28-year-old is the participant with probably the most purpose contributions within the UEFA Champions League this season.
Raphinha has already surpassed his compatriot Vinicius Jr.’s tally for Actual Madrid final season, following which he completed second within the Ballon d’Or race.
If the Barcelona captain goes on to win extra trophies so as to add to the Spanish Tremendous Cup this time period, he can be among the many main candidates to take house the Golden Orb.
