11 - Raphinha

Total-Football

Senior Member
Serious question: Is he just a world class Footballer now or is it just a purple patch? It's very strange for a player of his age to suddenly turn into a monster. He's 27.

@jamrock
He is a world class player now. It's not a precedent. It happens sometimes with late bloomers. Sometimes a player needs a final touch, a position modification, confidence , or something as little as that to tap into the full potential.
 

Andresito

Senior Member
Staff member
Think he just found his best role.

He has clear instructions: press, make runs in behind, link up from time to time, and whenever there's a chance, shoot. Very much like Pedro.

Put him in a worse team and he'll be pretty invisible. He's not your 'normal' winger who is asked to beat defenders 1v1 and create magic out of nothing, we have others who do that. Instead he completes the other (different) players in a perfect way.

Whether he's WC or not, in a functioning team he is, but in isolation there are better players imo.
 

Bran the Greenseer

Well-known member
I feel like we're being a little disrespectful he wasnt THAT bad pre Hansi. There were points under Xavi where he was litterally the only player that could put the ball in the goal and then had horrible injury luck and got sidelined just when playing well which allowed Yamal to blossom.
 

Porque

Senior Member
It's being surrounded by world class players in a setup that suits his style with a world class manager. Something he never had before.

Same with Olmo, who looks a million bucks compared to at Leipzig and in Spain with Lamine/Nico in offence compared to before.
 

serghei

Senior Member
He upped his finishing big time. It's a combination of Flick's influence, him getting more adapted as a main Barca figure, no injuries to stall his form, and things like that. It's not just one thing.

Main differences are the more direct, attacking football Flick likes to play, and him being more confident. His leadership, fitness, speed, stamina, basically all his athletic and mental attributes have always been impeccable and beyond reproach.

Moral of the story for fans here, never bet against leaders and hard working warriors.
 
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Masetro10

Member
It's being surrounded by world class players in a setup that suits his style with a world class manager. Something he never had before.

Same with Olmo, who looks a million bucks compared to at Leipzig and in Spain with Lamine/Nico in offence compared to before.
I would say Olmo has been a quiet beast for a long time. He was great in the last WC too. He has always had X Factor. I used to joke with my friends and say has "No GPS System" because he would do so many crazy plays but could never locate the net.
 

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