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Tag: Raphinha

  • Raphinha extends Barca deal until 2028

    Raphinha extends Barca deal until 2028

    Barcelona winger Raphinha  has signed a contract extension until 2028 after a spectacular season.

    The Brazilian, whose previous deal was set to expire in 2027, was vital as Barcelona won a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

     “Barcelona and Raphinha have reached an agreement for the renewal of his contract, which will link him to the club until June 30, 2028,” said the Catalan giants in a statement.

    Raphinha, a candidate to win the Ballon d’Or, has scored 34 goals and provided 25 assists in 56 matches across all competitions.

    The 28-year-old is the joint top goalscorers in the Champions League with 13, but Barcelona were knocked out in a thrilling semi-final tie against Inter Milan.

    He netted a hat-trick in Barca’s group stage win over Bayern Munich and a brace in the recent Clasico win over Real Madrid which took Barca to the verge of their La Liga conquest.

    Raphinha’s contract renewal follows coach Hansi Flick’s on Wednesday, with the German penning a new deal until 2027.

    Teenage winger Lamine Yamal, 17, is also expected to sign a new contract in the coming weeks.

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    His agent Jorge Mendes told reporters “he will renew (his deal) soon”, after having lunch with Yamal on the outskirts of Barcelona on Thursday.

    Raphinha and Yamal have been devastating on the flanks for Barcelona, either side of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.

    The Catalans have scored 99 goals in 37 La Liga matches and are hoping to pass a century on Sunday when they visit Athletic Bilbao in the last match of the season.

    Raphinha arrived in 2022 from Leeds United for around £55 million ($74 million) and helped Barcelona win La Liga in his first season.

    However he came close to leaving the club after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, but was convinced to stay by Flick.

  • Raphinha treble guides Barca to 4-1 rout of Bayern

    Raphinha treble guides Barca to 4-1 rout of Bayern

    Barcelona captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to lead them to a commanding 4-1 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, ending a near decade-long winless run against the German powerhouse.

    After six consecutive losses in which they were outscored 22 goals to four by Bayern, including a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals four years ago, Barcelona got their revenge with a great attacking performance led by their Brazilian captain.

    Raphinha’s inspired night started when he gave Barca the lead a little over a minute after kick-off when he received a fine pass by midfielder Fermin Lopez, beat the offside trap and rounded the onrushing Manuel Neuer before tapping into the empty net.

    Bayern did not seemed affected by the setback and were mostly in control against the home side, who looked comfortable playing on the counter-attack and exploiting the speed of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

    But if Barca looked dangerous with the ball and always one quick counter away from scoring, they were far from imposing on defence and gave too much space for Bayern who should have done better with the many chances they had.

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    Bayern’s wingers Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise were a constant menace against an aggressively high defensive line deployed by Barca boss Hansi Flick.

    The visiting side thought they have scored the equaliser in the 10th minute through a Harry Kane header, but his effort was ruled out after the VAR replay caught the England striker marginally offside.

    Eight minutes later, however, Kane’s volley from a cross by Serge Gnabry did stand as grabbed the equaliser.

    After Olise and Joshua Kimmich wasted good chances from close range it was Barca who got back in front in the 36th minute when Kim Min-Jae failed to deal with a high ball and Fermin Lopez cleverly chipped the ball between Neuer and Upamecano to Robert Lewandowski who tapped into an empty net.

    Bayern players heavily complained to the referee, saying that Lopez pushed Kim in the build-up, but VAR did not consider that the contact was enough to be considered an infringement.

    Barca grew in intensity against a visiting side who looked stunned and Raphinha netted a brilliant curling strike from the edge of the box after receiving a cross field pass from Marc Casado just before halftime.

    Raphinha wrapped up Barca’s win in the 56th minute with a tidy finish from another quick counter-attack and Bayern looked stunned as the home crowd chanted “Ole” to transform Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium into a bullfighting arena.

    One day after his compatriot Vinicius Jr. scored a hat-trick to help Real Madrid to a 5-2 comeback win over Borussia Dortmund, Raphinha’s performance against another German giant set up the perfect scenario for a highly anticipated Clasico against Real in LaLiga on Saturday.

    “Look at what happened yesterday (in Madrid) and today and you can see how good of a game it will be on Saturday. A Clasico is one of the best matches in the world,” Raphinha told Movistar Plus.

    “It is a night to be very happy about. For the game, what we did as a team. It’s the most important thing for me. To be able to win like this, in front of our fans, is special”.

    Barca are ninth in the Champions League standings on six points from three games while Bayern are 23rd on three points after a second consecutive defeat.

  • Raphinha steering Barca into tricky triple-header

    Raphinha steering Barca into tricky triple-header

    Raphinha has shone for Barcelona in their strong start to the season and the Catalan giants will need to lean on the Brazil winger even more ahead of a pivotal week.

    Hansi Flick’s La Liga leaders host Sevilla tomorrow  before a tantalising Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday and then a Clasico battle against Real Madrid the following Saturday.

    Madrid, meanwhile, visit Celta Vigo after giving their support to star forward Kylian Mbappe after Swedish media reported that he is being investigated for an alleged rape during a visit to Stockholm.

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    An internal club source, who spoke to AFP on condition of their identity not being revealed, described the accusations against the French player as “the biggest fake in the history of sport”.

    Raphinha is Barcelona’s only regular attacking star who has been able to stay fit, with question marks over the rest of the team’s usual front line.

    Striker Robert Lewandowski sat out Poland’s Nations League draw with Croatia on Tuesday with a knock, while Barcelona have diagnosed teenage winger Lamine Yamal with a minor hamstring strain.

    Ferran Torres is sidelined with a thigh injury for several weeks and playmaker Dani Olmo is recovering from a hamstring problem.