Raphinha admits he is 'annoyed' by rumours of his Barcelona exit

Hansi Flick seems to have found the key to elevate the Brazilian to another level of footballer. One that is more decisive and more eye-catching than before on the pitch. At the start of the season, he has two assists and three goals, including a hat-trick last weekend against Real Valladolid.
Even before the summer, Raphinha was tipped by the board as the ideal player in the squad to make money and go for Nico Williams. But neither the Brazilian left nor the Spaniard arrived. In an interview with 'RAC1', the winger acknowledged that the whole situation made him angry, but he never hesitated, never wanted to give up and kept his dream of succeeding with the Catalan giants.
"It's annoying to see rumours of departure, it's normal. Every day there is different news, that if I leave here or there, and this ends up bothering you. My head has always been here. Every season I think about doing more than the previous one and proving that I am capable of staying here for many years. I have received many offers, but the best thing for me is to be at Barcelona," explained the player.
"The first six months were difficult for me and my family. After the 2022 World Cup, I improved and was able to finish the season well. I became calmer, but the beginning was quite difficult. My adaptation to the club was difficult. I knew I had to do it, but I didn't know it would be so difficult on a personal level. I thought about leaving at some point."
Things have now changed for the better as he now wears the captain's armband: "After reading that you will leave, that the club don't count on you, listening to the press talking bad about you... I would never have imagined being one of the captains of Barcelona. I'm very excited," he concluded.