Raphinha: Xavi didn’t trust me; If he has other options he chooses someone else

Barcelona forward Raphinha recently spoke about his former coach Xavi in an interview, saying that Xavi didn’t trust him and would not hesitate to bring someone else on whenever he had the choice.

Raphinha is always blunt in front of the mic. He’s not the kind of player who measures every word, tries to please everyone, or weighs the consequences of his statements. He practices a “transparent expression” style—he speaks as openly as he plays, without holding back.

In a nearly one‑hour deep‑dive interview conducted by fellow Brazilian and highly respected national‑team reporter Isabella Paliari on her video channel, Raphinha revisited key moments of his professional and personal journey and delivered several memorable lines. For Barça fans, the most striking part was undoubtedly what he said about Xavi—who was his coach for the first two years after he joined the club.

“I felt that he and the entire coaching staff didn’t trust me,” Raphinha said bluntly. “When there was no one else available, I’d play the full 90 minutes. I gave everything I had and could impact the game, but as soon as there was someone else who could replace me, he’d use them without hesitation.”

He continued passionately, “Sometimes I’d be playing really well, and just past the 60‑minute mark, I’d be taken off. That’s why I’d get so angry when I was subbed.”

“There’s this iconic video of me storming back to the bench and pounding it in fury,” he recalled. “It was the match against Manchester United—I’d played extremely well, scored a goal, and provided an assist. The score was 2–2; I’d just created a fantastic chance, and yet he took me off. I felt in top form, completely in the rhythm of the game, and I was the first one subbed. I couldn’t believe it.”

Raphinha said that his relationship with Xavi eventually became irreparable. “I tried to fix it—we talked many times—but I found nothing ever changed. He’s stubborn in his views,” he said.

He also revealed that last summer he came very close to leaving Barça. Fresh from the Copa América, he was on vacation when he got a call from Hansi Flick, who told him they were waiting for him back and that he would be given a key role.

At that point, the Brazilian forward was already prepared to move to Saudi Arabia and even reached out to Neymar to learn about life and football there.

The person who ultimately changed his mind was his wife, Nathália. “I had a deep conversation with her,” he said. “I told her, ‘I feel like going there would be good for us. I’ve achieved my dream, and I don’t have the energy to deal with certain things anymore.’ She replied, ‘Do you think, once you get the promised wages there, you’ll still have the drive to train and fight for titles?’ She said the spark was gone from my eyes and reminded me, ‘You know what you really want—and it’s not going there.’”

Raphinha went on: “I told her I still have huge potential. If the new coach is fair, I could win him over in a week. In fact, it took me less than a week to make Flick a believer.”

For Raphinha, Flick is a special coach. “He’s the kind of manager who cares about every player, whether they’re starting or on the bench. I saw it with Vitinha. He’d proactively talk to the club’s top brass about each player’s situation and then speak directly with the player,” Raphinha emphasized.