Barcelona captain Raphinha is now on international duty with Brazil and his club side are hoping that manager Carlo Ancelotti will manage his minutes and send him home injury-free after two friendlies against Singapore and Japan.
Raphinha has previously told fans “not to worry” about him ahead of the two internationals, claiming he has spoken with Carlo Ancelotti about his game time.
Those comments did cause some controversy back in Brazil, but international team-mate Gabriel has defended Raphinha
and doesn’t think he will enjoy too much rest during his time with the national team.
“We are high-level players and what we always want is to play. Regarding Raphinha’s situation, his expression was misinterpreted. We are human beings and, obviously, we need rest, even mentally. In Europe, we play every two or three days… That’s a lot of games,” he told a press conference.
“When we come to the national team, we want to make the most of it, learn, and many people misinterpret something we say. That’s what happened with Raphinha. We didn’t see any statement that he came to rest. We know how much he gives to the national team. He’s an exemplary guy for us.”
Raphinha is expected to captain the side when Brazil play their first friendly against Singapore on Saturday.
