Raphinha Scouting Report At Barcelona 2024/2025 – Transformed By Hansi Flick Tactics

FC Barcelona are rarely out of the headlines in Spanish football, and their resounding victory in the Supercopa de España continued their emerging tactical superiority against fierce rivals, Real Madrid.

However, under Hansi Flick’s reign, one player in particular has undergone a significant role change, transforming him from a zero to a hero throughout the 2024/25 La Liga season.

Raphinha doesnt necessarily fit the mould of a traditional Brazilian or Barcelona winger.

Still, he is truly finding his feet with exceptional attacking output and an increased sense of leadership and belonging at the club.

With 30 goal contributions so far this campaign, he is already eclipsing his best statistical seasons in such a short number of games.

A significant reason for this would be his role evolution over the years.

He has learned from various tactical systems and now finds himself in a high-functioning Barcelona attack, which suits his key tactical traits perfectly.

For a winger who was constantly exiled from the starting eleven and linked with a move away from the club, Flick now finds himself with an almost indispensable attacking outlet.

Our tactical analysis and scouting report will delve into some of Raphinha’s most important assets, which have allowed him to fit seamlessly into Hansi Flick’s tactics this season.

We will also shed light on his influence over Barcelona’s overall attacking setup, with essential connections forming between Raphinha and his teammates to help unlock defences across LaLiga and the whole of Europe.

Raphinha Role Evolution

Raphinha gained prominence with his impressive performances at Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa.

He successfully guided the Whites to Premier League safety in his final season before moving to Spanish football.

It was clear that the Brazilian and his Leeds teammates had a significant class gap, which resulted in Bielsa assigning Raphinha a substantial attacking responsibility.

Despite Bielsa experimenting with multi-functional wingers who could operate on either flank, Raphinha saw the majority of his play taking place on the right wing.

He acted as more of a touchline-hugging facilitator, with most of Leeds’ attacking sequences flowing through him.

Raphinha Heat Map Premier League 2021/2022

When moving to Barcelona, Raphinha’s natural development appeared to be stunted by intense competition and key tactical tweaks, which limited his opportunities within the starting XI.

Xavi appeared to initially prefer the profile of Ousmane Dembélé as his right-sided winger, probably due to the Frenchman’s expertise in isolated dribbles and talents when operating closer to the perimeter.