Raphinha feels like the perfect symbol of this version of Brazil. He’s not the biggest name in the attack, not the most naturally glamorous player in the pool, but maybe the one who best combines end product, work rate, edge, and tactical usefulness. He is no longer just the winger who made it from Leeds to Barcelona. He is now a Barcelona star, a trusted Brazil starter, and one of the players who gives this Brazil team a little bit of bite.
Transfermarkt lists him at $94.1m, and that feels about right for where his career has gone. At 29, he is in his prime and coming off another strong season at Barcelona, where he had 19 goals and 7 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions. Raphinha has been a critical piece in Barcelona’s success over the past two years, not only providing creativity and goal scoring in attack, but leading their aggressive defensive press from the front as well as anyone in the world.
Raphinha is the type of player that fits around Brazil’s other stars rather than needing the whole attack built for him. He can play wide, press, run behind, deliver from set pieces, cut inside to shoot, and do some of the dirty work that Brazil’s more purely attacking players do not always want to do.
Brazil’s group, with Morocco, Scotland and Haiti, should give Raphinha room to make an early impact, but it is not a totally soft landing. Morocco are good enough to make Brazil uncomfortable right away, Scotland will make games physical, and Haiti are the kind of opponent Brazil will be expected to dominate. That is where Raphinha’s value comes in. Brazil have plenty of players who can provide a highlight. Raphinha gives them something a little more complete: high intensity without the ball, production with it, and enough personality to play in big matches without disappearing.
He may not be the first Brazilian casual fans name, but he could easily end up as one of their most important players. If Brazil are going to capture their sixth World Cup, they need the attack to be more than just famous names taking turns. Raphinha is one of the players who can help make it functional.