Just when everyone thought it was Raphinha’s time to shine, the Brazilian has sustained another injury, which threatens his participation at World Cup 2026.
The Selecao camp appears to be keeping its cards close to its chest, which in itself is a worry, and there has to be a concern that the winger might not even be available for pre-season duties with Barca.
An official statement read: “On Saturday, athlete Raphinha underwent imaging tests that confirmed a muscle injury in the back of his right thigh.
The player will follow an intensive treatment protocol under the supervision of the Brazilian National Team’s medical staff, aiming for recovery and a return to activity as soon as possible.”
It’s a situation that has to be treated with the utmost care, given that Raphinha has missed 24 games and spent over 100 days out for Brazil and Barca over the last year.
Two steps forward and one back has been a recurring theme, and it’s certainly one that Hansi Flick won’t want to see repeated throughout the 2026/27 campaign.
That’s because when Raphinha is on song, so are Barcelona. His work ethic and eye for goal have been a real feature for the team, and without it, it’s clear that the Blaugranes miss him dearly.
Yes, they managed to cover his absences somewhat with the decent form of Marcus Rashford, and the signing of Anthony Gordon is certainly an exciting one for the new season…
It’s even possible that the signing of the former Newcastle man was also with a view to replacing the Brazilian at some point precisely because of his injury concerns and ongoing talk of Saudi clubs willing to throw money at the forward.
The prospect of Barca actually selling Raphinha this summer suddenly doesn’t seem quite so outlandish. It would be incredibly harsh, of course, but football is unforgiving at the best of times, and if Barca are serious about continuing to challenge for the biggest club honours in the game, loyalty can only stretch so far.
In the meantime, all culers and the Barca backroom staff can do is hope that the injury isn’t as serious as it first appears, and that Raphinha can still play some part from Brazil in the knockout rounds with no further problems.
If not, then the start of the new campaign could take on a slightly different look for the team and, if they gel, then the winger might find it difficult to regain his place.
