Before diving into Xavi\u2019s remarks, it is important to understand the backdrop.<\/p>\n
Not a straightforward relationship<\/p>\n
Raphinha himself had previously described their relationship as \u201cstrictly professional,\u201d hinting at moments of frustration, particularly due to frequent substitutions around the hour mark.<\/p>\n
That perception had led many to believe there was a deeper disconnect between the two. However, Xavi\u2019s version paints a far more nuanced picture.<\/p>\n
He began by highlighting his long-standing belief in the Brazilian, revealing that his admiration for the winger dated back to before his Barcelona days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Explaining how strongly he pushed for the signing, Xavi said, \u201cI was the one who signed Rafeena, and I was the one who told the club to sign him.<\/p>\n
He explained that his interest in the player was not new, but something he had tracked for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI even wanted to sign him when I was at Al Sadd in Qatar and he was in Portugal, but at the time he stayed in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xavi then detailed how, upon arriving at Barcelona, he made it clear to the club\u2019s decision-makers that Raphinha was a priority signing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLater, at Barcelona, I told Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany that we had to sign him because he\u2019s a winner, he attacks deep, he\u2019s strong in one-on-one situations, and he scores goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Complete trust in Raphinha<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fc-barcelona-v-real-betis-laliga-santander-1024x683.jpg\")
Raphinha and Xavi did not share a great relationship. (Photo by Alex Caparros\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Despite the perceived tension, Xavi insisted that his trust in Raphinha never wavered and that their relationship remained positive behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always had confidence in Rafa, and my relationship with him is very good.<\/p>\n
He also addressed the key source of frustration \u2013 substitutions \u2013 offering a managerial perspective on why those decisions were necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cA manager has to understand that the match depends on performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re not performing well, I have to bring on another player, and we had players capable of making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xavi then revealed a personal moment that showed his approach to handling the situation, recalling a direct conversation with the winger during a difficult phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember a very good conversation with Rafinha in training when he was feeling frustrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI said to him: \u201cRafa, you\u2019ve signed here for five years, calm down\u2026 We trust you. Calm down, be yourself.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the substitutions weren\u2019t helping him mentally, but now he\u2019s really come into his own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concluding his reflection, Xavi expressed satisfaction at Raphinha\u2019s development and current standing at the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy that Raphinha has exploded at Barcelona. We gave him so much support. He\u2019s a good guy, a winner, responsible, and a leader,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has offered a rare and detailed insight into his relationship with Raphinha, addressing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,222,223,94,5536],"class_list":["post-12349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-raphinha","tag-xavi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}