Barcelona star Raphinha has recently opened up about why he rejected a massive offer from a Saudi Pro League club and decided to continue at the Catalan side.
The Brazilian star had a stellar 2024/25 season, scoring 34 goals and providing 26 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions while winning the domestic treble with Barcelona.
Raphinha's journey at Barcelona, however, did not have a dream start. Following his arrival at the Spanish giants from Leeds United in 2022, the winger recorded only 20 goals and 25 assists in his first two seasons.
These underwhelming campaigns reportedly led Barcelona to consider parting ways with Raphinha in the summer of 2024, amid the club's ongoing sporting and financial issues.
Back in March this year, the 28-year-old mentioned that he also considered a departure from Barcelona after the 2024 Copa America, as he 'wasn't feeling mentally comfortable,' and said,
"I was thinking about leaving Barca after the 2024 Copa America. I wasn't feeling mentally comfortable until Flick called me. Every day, there were rumours about me signing for one team or another," as per GOAL.
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"Things didn't go as they should have; I had a worse season than expected, and I saw people asking me to leave while reports of my departure surfaced daily. I seriously considered leaving."
Several reports around that time also suggested that Saudi giants Al-Hilal were preparing a hefty bid of €100m (£87m/$117m) along with a four-year contract worth €170m (£150m/$200m).
Now, in a recent interview with ESPN, Raphinha candidly admitted that an offer from Saudi Arabia 'really tempted' him as it would have 'solved' most of his problems, and said,
"I've been playing football since I was 15, I've been through good times and bad times everywhere, so there came a point when I thought it was time to take care of myself and my family. The offer we had from Saudi Arabia really tempted me. It would have solved not just my personal life, but also the lives of my parents, my son... a lot of people."
"Obviously, we thought about leaving [Barcelona]. I thought it might be time to leave, but then we talked to [Flick], first on the phone and then at the beginning of the preseason, and he managed to convince me to stay. I'm glad he did."
What did Barca boss Hansi Flick say to convince Raphinha?
Raphinha also revealed that in the phone call that changed his mind against making a move away from Barca, Flick asked him to 'come to training before making a decision,' and told Globo Esporte,
"Flick called me and asked me to come to training before making a decision because he wanted to talk to me and counted on me. That was a turning point in my decision to stay."
"I spoke with my wife and told her: If this man is fair and sees the effort I put into training, I'll make him want me in a week, and he won't regret it. And I think I was right."
Raphinha, whose current contract with Barca is valid until June 2028, has recorded three goals and two assists in seven appearances across competitions so far this season.
Barcelona will return to La Liga action in their next match against Girona on October 18 at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.
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