Neymar convinced Raphinha to join Barcelona instead of Chelsea

paid £16m for

when they signed him from Rennes in 2020 as the Brazilian scored 17 goals and contributed 12 assists across two seasons. With

also interested in signing Brazilian, Raphinha revealed it was

who convinced him to opt for a move to

rather than Chelsea.

Raphinha told

:

"I spoke a lot to Neymar. He told me that if I came to Barcelona then I would not regret it. And he was right.

"My dream was to wear the Barcelona shirt. This is a club that I have followed since I was very young.

"Since Ronaldinho arrived, I began to understand a little more about the history of the club. I wanted to be a part of this.

"So that dream, those desires were stronger than any other proposal no matter how powerful it was financially."

Raphinha believes his new side has what it takes to win the

under

as they started their campaign with a 5-1 victory over

in midweek.

"

Apart from the talent that the team has, I think the most important thing [for winning the Champions League] is to have a winning mentality,"

he said.

"And we have it.

"[If Barca win the Champions League] I will do the same thing I did with Leeds when we managed to secure safety: I will cross Camp Nou on my knees or on the field where we play. It could very well be Istanbul [this season]."

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