Raphinha hits out at ‘lack of respect’ over fan gesture with Nico Williams shirt
The Brazilian was motivated by another summer of speculation over his future
Before the season started it looked as though Raphinha was definitely on his way out of Barcelona, but the Brazilian continued to reject any offers to leave the club in the summer and bet on himself to turn things around under new manager Hansi Flick.
Two months have passed and now Raphinha is a captain and an indispensable part of the team, and he’s playing as well as anyone in Europe to begin the campaign. The 27-year-old has shown he has what it takes to succeed at Barça, and has proven even some of his own fans wrong.
Those “fans” wanted Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams to replace Raphinha during the summer and even posted pictures on social media with Nico wearing his number 11 shirt, a gesture that he mocked at the time and that has clearly motivated him to play the best football of his career.
That’s what he told the media in a press conference on Tuesday, adding that it was a lack of respect towards him and the work he’s done as a Barça player.
“It was a joke in bad taste. People should respect the club’s players. Seeing a photo like this did not sit well with me. It was a lack of respect towards my work.
“It didn’t influence my start, but I am motivated, I have two years left on my contract. I started knowing that I had to adapt to other positions and a different way of playing, but I give my best. If I was working at 100 percent, now I give 200 percent.”
It’s been awesome to see Raphinha’s growth as a person, leader and player this season, but it’s also lovely to see that the petty remains alive and well with him. He’ll now look to carry his amazing form into two monster games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and prove that Barça never needed Nico in the first place.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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