Top Facts about Raphinha, Brazilian youngster

(born 14 December 1996) is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as a winger for

in the Premier League and for the Brazil national team.

Raphinha’s age

is 25.

Raphinha was born in Porto Alegre and grew up in a slum just outside the city center. Raphinha's family had strong relations to Ronaldinho, and he even attended his birthday party when he was seven years old, thanks to his father, who was a jobbing musician.

Raphinha also has a strong bond with Manchester United player Bruno Fernandes, who he claims has been of great assistance to him throughout his career, including proposing that he joins Leeds United.

An important fact about Raphinha is that he signed a four-year deal with Leeds United on October 5, 2020, for an unknown cost thought to be in the range of £17 million, or around €20 million.

On October 19, 2020, he made his first appearance for the club in a 1-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In a 1-0 away victory against Everton on November 28, 2020, he scored his first goal for the club.

Leeds' first Premier League victory at Goodison Park and their first league win at Everton since 1990 was earned by his winning goal.

He scored his first goal of the season in Leeds' first home game against

on August 21, 2021, a low-struck 72nd-minute equalizer from just inside the penalty area, which was named as one of the Premier League's Goals of the Month for August.

Top Facts about Raphinha:

An important fact about Raphinha is that he came to Europe, inspired by family friend Ronaldinho, and lit up the continent with his Brazilian flare. He now plays for Leeds United in the Premier League.

Raphinha early life

Raphinha was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and raised in Restinga, a slum outside of town. Regarding

Raphinha’s parents

, it should be mentioned that his father worked as a freelance musician.

Speaking about

Raphinha’s childhood

, it is worth mentioning that he had a rough life, including sharing a bedroom with his parents, younger brother, and pets, as well as struggling to pay travel expenses and having to beg for food at times. He is of Italian ancestry in part.

He attended Ronaldinho's birthday celebration when he was seven years old because of his father and uncle's friendship with the footballer. They've met many times since then and have formed a strong relationship.

Raphinha personal life

An important fact about Raphinha is that he is not married, according to his personal life. The Brazilian celebrity, on the other hand, is not single.

He is said to be dating Natalia Rodrigues, a lovely girl with whom he has been dating for a long time. After an exceedingly beautiful proposal on her birthday in January 2021, he revealed his engagement to Natalia Rodrigues. On his social media pages, he had posted a few of images with his girlfriend.

Raphinha professional career

Raphinha, a winger for Leeds United, has been a revelation in the Premier League since joining Marcelo Bielsa's club in 2020. He began his career with top-flight team Avai FC in his native Brazil, and he has also played for

and Rennes.

Raphinha club career

Raphinha played in the várzea competitions until he was 18, which he defines as "a network of autonomous matches and tournaments organized by the local community" below academy level in which any potential player is free to join.

Home supporters pestering opponent team players near changing rooms before matches, gunshots, clay fields with dust and sand, high heat, posts instead of nets, and shirtless teams owing to bib shortages are all common occurrences in these events.

is a long-time buddy of his, dating back to when they were colleagues at Sporting CP.

Raphinha claims that Fernandes has been of great assistance to him in his football career. Fernandes advised Raphinha before joining Leeds United that his style would "fit the league" (in reference to the Premier League).

Avaí

An important

fact about Raphinha

is that he began his career playing youth football with Imbituba, where he was subsequently spotted by Ava, after failed tryouts with International and Grêmio.

Raphinha began his career with the Ava under-20 squad in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2014, when he was 18 years old. He was unable to make the team after being injured, but he continued to practice on his own.

Despite gaining interest from several of Brazil's best teams, Ava held on to Raphinha until 2016, when he shone at the Copa So Paulo de Futebol Junior.

Guimares

Raphinha joined for Vitória Guimares on February 2, 2016, after being noticed by Deco at the Copa So Paulo de Futebol Junior. Deco signed him to his agency, D20 Sports, and organized his move to Vitória.

He made his Vimaranenses debut against Paços de Ferreira on March 13, 2016. On August 20, 2016, he scored his first goal for the club against C.S. Martimo. He debuted in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League against Red Bull Salzburg on September 14, 2017.

In 2017, he was named Vitória Guimares Breakthrough Player of the Year. During the 2017–18 Primeira Liga season, he scored 18 goals in 43 appearances (all competitions) for Vitória Guimares

Sporting

He moved to Sporting CP in Portugal in May 2018 for the rest of the season. He made his debut against Moreirense on August 12th. On September 20, 2018, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win against FK Qarabag in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.

An important

fact about Raphinha

is that he was a member of the Taça de Portugal winning team in 2018–19, scoring a penalty in a penalty shootout triumph against Porto.

Rennes

In 2019, he joined French club Rennes for a transfer price of roughly €21 million, making him the club's record acquisition.

He scored a goal and added an assist in his last game for the club, a 2–2 tie against Reims in Ligue 1 on October 4, 2020.

During his stay with the club, he scored eight goals and added seven assists, helping Rennes to a third-place finish and qualification for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League during the 2019–20 Ligue 1 season.

Leeds United

He signed a four-year deal with Leeds United on October 5, 2020, for an unknown cost thought to be in the range of £17 million, or around €20 million.

In a 1–0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 19, 2020, he made his debut as a second-half replacement.

On November 22, 2020, he made his entire debut against

at home. Raphinha scored his first Leeds goal in a 1–0 away victory against Everton on November 28, 2020.

Leeds' first Premier League victory at Goodison Park and their first league win at Everton since 1990 was earned by his winning goal. He ended the season with six goals, all of which came in league games.

Raphinha scored his first goal of the season in Leeds' first home game against Everton on August 21, 2021, a low-struck 72nd-minute equalizer from just inside the penalty area, which was chosen as one of the Premier League's Goals of the Month for August.

Raphinha finished the season as Leeds' leading goalscorer with 11 goals, including the game's opening goal from the penalty spot in a 2–1 away victory over Brentford on the last day of the season, securing Leeds' Premier League status after being fouled by Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.

Raphinha international career

An important fact about Raphinha is that he was called up to represent

in World Cup qualifiers against Chile,

, and Peru in August 2021.

Raphinha made his full debut for the national team on October 7, 2021, when he came in as a half-time replacement in a 3–1 comeback triumph over Venezuela.

In 45 minutes on the field, he assisted two goals and earned a penalty, earning plaudits from sports commentators and fans.

He scored his first two international goals in a qualification match against Uruguay in his third appearance and first start.

Raphinha possible future

Raphinha went to Disneyland Korea last month, and after holding the relegation wolf at Leeds United at bay, it was time to go on to the next rollercoaster. It’s the end of the season, but football never stops, and Raphinha's summer promises to be exciting.

The Brazil side was in South Korea for a friendly, which they won 5-1, and Raphinha's international rise has been so rapid that he now travels with them everywhere they go. He's their overnight sensation.

He left Leeds a fortnight ago with no certainty that he would return, his career hanging in the balance as the transfer market unfolded.

Leeds United have spent the better part of a year hearing queries about how long they will be able to keep the dynamic winger they recruited from Rennes at the start of the 2020-21 season.

They are asked the same questions about

, but it has long been assumed that getting the England midfielder to remain at Elland Road, at least in the near term, will be simpler than persuading Raphinha to go.

Last season, when Leeds battled relegation until the last day of the season, the prevailing consensus was that the 25-year-old would gravitate towards larger things once the summer transfer window opened, moving to the level where he is clearly capable of playing.

Leeds' ability to remain up hasn't improved much in that regard. They sympathize with Raphinha's goal and promise not to be unjust or obstructive if their estimate is realized.

They no longer expect him to sign a new deal, which seemed likely halfway through the season, and although Raphinha has not specifically requested a move, it is no secret that he views himself as a Champions League player.

The teams associated with him show that others regard him as a Champions League player as well, and it already seems likely that a healthy Raphinha will be named to Brazil's World Cup squad in November and December.

Nonetheless, Leeds' survival as a Premier League team left them with a favorable deck of cards. Raphinha's contract has a relegation buy-out clause that would have enabled him to go for a fraction of his market worth if Leeds had been relegated, and it's no surprise that Barcelona's interest in him grew during the time when Jesse Marsch's team seemed doomed.

It was also no surprise that Manchester City's focus on Phillips became more official and intense as the chances on Leeds dropping out of the Championship shrank dramatically. Leeds would have been exposed to modest bids if they had been relegated, and other clubs knew it.

They are currently under no obligation to accept low-cost proposals or to enable third parties to dictate to them.

Raphinha's contract has two years remaining on it, and Leeds will be aware that if he remains, his worth will be much lower in a year than it is today.

However, sources have said that getting Raphinha out of Elland Road would need a price of between £60 million and £70 million – perhaps four times what they spent for him less than two years ago.

Barcelona are his main pursuers and the source of all the Raphinha rumours, as well as the club that looked destined to sign him for months. The concern for Barcelona, though, is whether they can genuinely afford this agreement.

There was a time when Catalan ownership could make a signing like Raphinha in any given window, when almost no transfer target was beyond of reach. Barcelona, on the other hand, is a totally different beast today, with debts of almost £1 billion and stringent limitations on recruiting and spending.

A club that was forced to sell its star

on a free transfer last summer due to La Liga regulations is no longer able to stretch its muscles a year later, and they face a difficult window unless they can identify new income sources or generate large sums via player sales.

Barcelona's purchasing power has been severely hampered by La Liga's imposition of a restrictive wage ceiling at the Nou Camp, which is significantly lower than the constraints imposed on its 2021-22 championship and Champions League-winning arch-rivals Real Madrid.

La Liga president Javier Tebas summed up their predicament this week when asked whether they were in a position to sign Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski for a cost of £25 million plus yearly salaries of roughly £17 million.

Tebas said, "Barca knows what they have to accomplish. They are well aware of our economic restrictions as well as their financial status.

I'm not sure whether

, Pedri, or Pepito Perez will be sold (a Barcelona-born actor who died in the 1970s). They need to refill their tank, which is now empty. They are now unable to sign Lewandowski."

Those remarks, of course, did not please the club's management, particularly president Joan Laporta.

Tebas was accused by Laporta of "damaging Barcelona" by openly discussing their recruiting. However, they do have little financial freedom.

Barcelona have agreed to sign Chelsea's Andreas Christensen and AC Milan's Franck Kessie as free agents, but they do not have the necessary salary cap room to do so.

Xavi also wants Ousmane Dembele to sign a new contract, but the attacker has turned down all of the club's offers and might go for free now that his current contract has expired.

Barcelona, as Tebas said, must restock their coffers before making any new signings. Laporta and his other directors are considering a number of options, including the prospect of joining La Liga's contentious CVC contract late.

They might generate more money by selling future TV rights to an investor and selling interests in its BLM merchandise business and Barca Studios producing company.

The potential revenues from those possible deals are estimated to be in the region of £650 million, albeit most of it would have to be used to pay off current obligations.

There's also a large list of players Barcelona wants to let go of, giving them more wiggle space and flexibility under the pay limit.

The problem is that finding willing purchasers for part or all of the excess population will be difficult, especially because many of them are paid well.

This explains why they are considering selling De Jong, who has lately been linked with Manchester United. Though the 25-year-old Dutch midfielder is seen as a valuable asset, he may potentially be used as collateral by Barcelona.

After an emergency general meeting on June 16 and the conclusion of their financial year two weeks later, a better picture of Barcelona's position should emerge.

Laporta and the other directors surrounding him are focused on putting together a competitive group for next season, and the players they want to add include Raphinha and Lewandowski.

They're also interested in

of Manchester City, Valencia's Carlos Soler, Sevilla's Jules Kounde, and two more Chelsea players, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.

While landing all of those names is unlikely, they aim to give themselves a fighting chance in the 2022-23 La Liga season after finishing second but 13 points behind winners Madrid last month.

It's no surprise that Barcelona focused their attention on Raphinha in the first place.

Deco, his agent, was a famous player for them in the early twentieth century and is good friends with Laporta.

Deco was reported to be the Catalan club's chief scout in South America in February, the market where he signed Raphinha as a teenager at Avia, a club that has yo-yoed between Brazil's top two divisions over the last decade, before moves to Vitoria Guimaraes and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, and finally the switch to Rennes in the summer of 2019.

Bayern Munich, the perennial German champions, have been mentioned as a prospective destination for the winger, although they have made no contact with Leeds.

Barcelona, on the other hand, established communication lines some time ago, but their enthusiasm has not grown in the two weeks since the English season ended.

Due to the budgetary constraints, Barcelona's 2022-23 team will not be finalized until late in the summer window.

For the time being, the answer to the issue of whether or not they can afford Raphinha remains a mystery. Barcelona may attempt to entice surplus players into part-exchange deals in order to reduce the cost of any deal for them.

However, La Liga's salary-cap regulations would complicate the process since a certain amount of the money earned would have to be used to pay off their debt.

Leeds may perhaps have pre-existing intentions for the next window and would be uninterested in a cash-plus-player offer.

Elland Road avoided an out-of-control summer by surviving on the last day of the Premier League season.

The off-season in 2022-23 has been shortened to accommodate a winter World Cup, and Leeds are set to begin pre-season training in a couple of weeks.

Raphinha will very certainly be with them when they return, but after some more time off to compensate for international service.

It's unclear where this will finish, but Leeds are in the driver's seat, with no incentive to budge on their pricing, hurry into anything, or offer anybody any favors, least of all

.

Raphinha position

An important fact about Raphinha is that he plays wide right for Leeds despite being a left-footed player who is classified as an inverted winger. Raphinha is another ideal illustration of the advantages of an inverted winger, since this is a prevalent strategy among wingers or inside forwards in the current game.

Raphinha's heat map in many matches shows that he prefers to maintain his breadth along the right touchline.

This enables him to cut inside onto his left foot while also allowing him to carry the ball along the touchline. This wide right position is part of Bielsa's strategy, which entails stretching the pitch as wide as possible when in possession in order to create additional space.

This type of heat map may provide some insight into why Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in Raphinha.

Both clubs use an underlapping right-back in possession, and having someone like Raphinha who can effectively keep his width may be one of the contributing factors to the success of this underlap.

Raphinha dribbling abilities

Raphinha, like many other Brazilian strikers, is a master of the dribble. Raphinha's position on the wide right frequently puts him in 1v1 dribbling situations, and making the most of these opportunities is an important part of the attacker's game.

An important fact about Raphinha is that he is incredibly quick and has a fantastic burst of speed to get away from defenders, but he also dribbles with remarkable technique and touch, utilizing little touches to keep the ball near and enabling him to move it away from a defender in an instant.

Raphinha finishing abilities

Raphinha's passing is one of the ways he manages to create in the final third. Raphinha is also good at releasing midfield runs into the box, particularly when they attack the space he creates by maintaining his width. Raphinha's passing talent is best seen in a game versus Brentford at Elland Road.

Raphinha's crossing is another method he provides excellence in the final third. Raphinha often crosses the ball by cutting back inside onto his left foot and flicking the ball in.

Raphinha's dribbling skill causes defenders to leave him room and avoid going too close to him in order to avoid fouling him or enabling him to easily beat them. This gives Raphinha enough time to cross the ball.

Raphinha defensive abilities

The days of attackers attacking and defenders defending are passed, and players must now contribute to all stages of the game from all positions on the field. Raphinha is a highly energetic defender when the ball is not in his hands.

This will be impacted by Bielsa's style of play, but

and Liverpool will be interested in this energetic defense. Being coached by Bielsa might assist a player rapidly transition into Guardiola's squad, since Guardiola has expressed his respect for Bielsa and his style of play.

An important fact about Raphinha is that he has a high defensive duel per 90 average, as well as a high defensive duels per 90 success rate.

All of the teams interested in signing Raphinha will profit from this, given they all use powerful pressing and counter-pressing methods in their games.

Some more facts about Raphinha:

An important

fact about Raphinha

is that he made his national team debut for Brazil in 2021, assisting in a 3-1 comeback victory over Venezuela.

Raphinha aspired to play for Internacional, one of Porto Alegre's most prestigious teams, as a youngster. Raphinha, on the other hand, was turned down three times by the squad because she was too thin.

Raphinha would not allow this rejection stop him, and despite being seven hours away from home, he was signed by Avai FC, a Brazilian Serie A team at the time.

Despite the fact that he was regarded as a unique - and significant - talent, the team was forced to relocate to Raphinha owing to continuous financial constraints.

He came to Europe in 2016 with the aid of a new agency, former Portugal international

, to join with Vitoria Guimaraes' B club.

The Brazilian international rapidly adapted well and established himself as a regular with Vitoria B in Liga Portugal 2. He appeared in 16 games and scored five goals in the 2015-16 season.

He was promoted to Vitoria Guimaraes' first squad the following season after a short introduction in his initial season in Portugal.

An important fact about Raphinha is that he made his full debut for the club in a league match in August 2016 and quickly established himself in the team, playing in the Europa League as well.

The left-footed winger had an outstanding first season, scoring 18 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions. In 2017, he was named the club's Breakthrough Player of the Year.

His impressive performances won him a move to Sporting CP in Portugal, where he made his Europa League debut.

An important fact about Raphinha is that he was a key member of the team that won the Taca da Liga and Taca de Portugal double in 2018/19, and he had a lot of fun playing with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, whom he now considers a dear buddy.

An important fact about Raphinha is that he appeared in 37 games for the green and whites, scoring nine goals and assisting five others.

After performing for Sporting, Rennes, a French team, enticed the talented Brazilian to the club for a reported €21 million cost.

Raphinha, a club-record acquisition at the time, did not let anybody down throughout his stay in the north-west of France. He made 36 appearances and scored eight goals in his first full season.

Rennes finished third in Ligue 1 and qualified for the UEFA Champions League thanks to his outstanding performances.

Raphinha signed a four-year contract with Leeds United in England in October 2020, requiring a cost of roughly €20 million.

Raphinha was signed by

and quickly established himself in the Argentinian's starting lineup. When out of possession, Bielsa favored a pressing style of play, but moving forward, he preferred a quick, free-flowing approach, which Raphinha readily adopted.

Raphinha became a fan favorite at Elland Road when his efforts helped Leeds finish in the top half of the Premier League for the first time since 2004. He scored six goals and was Bielsa's focal point on several occasions.

In the first month of the season, the playmaker scored a goal that was a candidate for Goal of the Month against Everton.

Raphinha got called up for the first time to the Brazilian national squad in August 2021. In October, he made his debut in the fabled yellow jersey against Venezuela.

He made the most of his chance, assisting twice and earning a penalty to help his team come back from a goal down to win 3-1. After going on as a half-time substitution, he was able to do all of this.

Raphinha social media

Regarding

Raphinha social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 1.1M followers. On the page, we can see various pictures of him along with his fans and family.

Raphinha body measurements

Speaking about

Raphinha body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the player is 176cm and 55kg.

Raphinha net worth and salary

Raphinha makes a living as a professional football player. Contracts, wages, bonuses, and endorsements are all sources of money for him.

He joined Rennes in September 2019 for a transfer price of roughly €21 million, making him the club's record signing. He signed a four-year deal with Leeds United in October 2020 for an unknown cost thought to be in the range of £17 million, or over €20 million.

In 2022,

Raphinha’s net worth

is around €9 million, with a salary of £3.2 million. His current market worth is estimated to be over €40 million.

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