The start of the 2023/24 season was not the best for Raphinha. Despite the opportunity presented to him in Barcelona with the departure of Ousmane Dembélé, the Brazilian missed the chance to hold on to the starting lineup from the start and his place in the starting eleven appears to be at risk.
Well, Lamine Yamal, the young 16-year-old attacker called up by the Spanish team, has made a good impression in the first games and seems to be well considered by Xavi Hernández to occupy the right winger position. This is what he did in the victory against Osasuna, in which Raphinha only entered in injury time.
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Raphinha, in search of returning to his best level
Raphinha started the season on the wrong foot, being sent off in the 0-0 draw against Getafe on the first day of LaLiga. That red card sidelined him for the next two games, and even when he was already available, he was benched by Xavi.
Meanwhile, Yamal caught the attention of Spanish football to the point of being included in the squad list for the Spanish senior team. The Brazilian, for his part, had initially been excluded from his country’s squad, although Vinicius Junior’s injury opened a door for him.
The former Leeds United man will now seek to impress Fernando Diniz to have action in the South American Qualifiers , after having started in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under the leadership of Tite. The season has just begun, so Raphinha still has time to earn a place in both his club and his national team.
