I knew I was going to be subbed off in the 60th minute: Barcelona forward Raphinha

The Brazilian has already scored 10 goals across all competition for the Catalan side this season.

Due to his unnecessarily short playing time in the previous season, Barcelona player Raphinha has made a thinly veiled jab at former manager Xavi Hernandez.

With Hansi Flick helping him reach a new level of play, the Brazil international is having an incredible start to his third season in Catalonia.

As evidence of his improvement, he has already scored six LaLiga goals, matching his total from the entire previous campaign. His seven goals in Barcelona were his season-high.

The 27-year-old’s answer has kept him in the team as Flick has handed him greater responsibilities, including the role of captain on occasion.

“It’s not a criticism of Xavi. But with him, I knew I was going to be subbed off in the 60th minute. I tried to do everything in those 60 minutes, but nothing worked,” Raphinha as in an interview with El Pais.

“And other times, when things did work, I was taken off anyway.”

🗣️ Raphinha: "It is not a criticism of him, but with Xavi, I already knew that I was going to come off in the 60th minute. I tried to do everything in those 60 minutes but nothing worked out. And other times, when things did work, I was taken off anyway." pic.twitter.com/ao0Ru2APB6

— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) November 3, 2024

Raphinha made 11 cameos off the bench and started just 17 league games last season. During the ninety minutes, he expressed his belief that Xavi didn’t trust him.

When Barcelona return to action today in a league rivalry against Espanyol, Raphinha will be hoping to maintain his excellent play in an effort to increase their six-point lead in the championship.

The Brazilian international received some criticism since, although he made significant contributions in his first two seasons as well, he was not always at his best.

The relationship between Raphinha and Xavi was not always positive either, as the Brazilian was seen complaining on the touchline after the club veteran repeatedly substituted him.

The former Leeds United player acknowledged in the interview that he was frustrated because, regardless of how well he performed on the field, he was always substituted in the 60th minute. But that has not been the case so far this season as the former Leeds player has thrived under Flick.

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