FC Barcelona Boss Flick Had Two Hour Meeting With Star Before Dortmund

FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick held a two-hour meeting with one of his main stars to discuss a slump in form ahead of Wednesday’s blistering 4-0 Champions League quarterfinal first leg win over Borussia Dortmund according to El Nacional, which cited anonymous sources.

The 2024/2025 season has seen Raphinha complete one of modern soccer’s most impressive comeback arcs.

From being on the chopping block in the summer and placed in the shop window, the Brazilian decided not to let his ego get in the way when moved out of his right wing berth by a teenager in Lamine Yamal.

Being placed on the left flank was something we’d already seen on Xavi Hernandez’s watch, but it is under the club legend’s successor Flick that we’ve subsequently witnessed Raphinha become a genuine Ballon d’Or candidate.

His exploits in the mentioned 4-0 win over Dortmund saw ‘Rapha’ equal Lionel Messi for the most combined goals and assists in a single edition of the Champions League.

But we can’t ignore the fact that Raphinha returned from the March international break out of sorts.

An interview with Romario where he made incendiary comments about Argentina came back to bite him as Brazil was thrashed 4-1 in a Buenos Aires World Cup qualifier, and Raphinha was clearly bothered in the aftermath of last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Real Betis where he was seen losing it with teammate Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

According to El Nacional, this prompted Flick to call a meeting with his number 11 which lasted more than two hours.

The German wanted to know if the 28-year-old “had any problems away from the pitch that could be influencing his performance”.

At a prematch press conference to preview the Dortmund tie, Flick said that there was nothing up with Raphinha, and batted away suggestions that he could be struggling with fatigue.

“I don’t think he’s not fresh. After the break we gave him a little time to recover, but in training he is as always – fantastic. We have kept an eye on him, but he is very dynamic and ready for tomorrow’s game,” Flick insisted.

Though it wasn’t his best performance of the season, Raphinha showed signs of his past top form against Dortmund and scored his side’s opening goal.

Hopefully for Culers, the strike will give him the confidence he needs to get back on track at a time when Barca is still in line for an impressive treble.