Raphinha welcomes Marcus Rashford’s arrival at Barcelona, citing the importance of competition for progress and title aspirations. Rashford joins on loan from Manchester United, adding to Barcelona’s already potent attack. Raphinha aims to improve his own performance and win the Champions League.
Raphinha has expressed his enthusiasm for the added competition that Marcus Rashford will bring to Barcelona's attacking lineup. The Brazilian winger believes that Rashford's arrival will push the team to greater heights as they pursue titles.
Rashford recently completed a season-long loan move from Manchester United, following a period where he fell out of favor under manager Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. Barcelona also has an option to permanently acquire the 27-year-old for a reported €30 million (£26 million) next year.
Last season, Rashford spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Aston Villa, where he made a significant impact, contributing to nine goals in all competitions for Unai Emery's side. His addition to Barcelona's already formidable attack is expected to further bolster their scoring prowess.
Barcelona boasts a star-studded attack, having scored an impressive 174 goals across all competitions last season, surpassing every other team in Europe's top five leagues. Key contributors to this prolific goal-scoring record include Robert Lewandowski (42 goals), Raphinha (34 goals), Ferran Torres (19 goals), and Lamine Yamal (18 goals).
Speaking to Diario Sport, Raphinha emphasized the need for players to be prepared for intense competition when playing for a club like Barcelona. He said, "When you play with this jersey, with this club, you need to be prepared for all the competition that there is. In my opinion, the more competition we have, the better. It means that one helps the other progress, and that is the most important thing if we want to win titles."
Since joining Barcelona, Rashford has already made two appearances as a substitute in pre-season victories against Vissel Kobe and Seoul.
Raphinha himself had a standout individual campaign last season, recording 56 goal involvements (34 goals and 22 assists) in 57 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions. Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (57 goal involvements) surpassed him among players in Europe's top five leagues.
Despite helping Barcelona secure a domestic treble last season, Raphinha believes there is still room for improvement as they head into the new campaign. He stated, "I always try to find my best form in training, games, the season. I tried that last season, it was better than the previous one, and I will try for this coming season to also be better than the last."
Raphinha's performances in the Champions League were particularly noteworthy. He equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's competition record from 2013-14, achieving 21 goal involvements in a single campaign in Europe's elite competition. He scored 13 goals in the Champions League, a feat only surpassed by former Barcelona icon Lionel Messi, who scored 14 goals in 2011-12.
However, Barcelona's Champions League journey was cut short as they were defeated in the semi-finals by Serie A side Inter. The club has not won the Champions League since 2015.
Raphinha expressed his ambition to win the Champions League, stating, "The Champions League is a personal challenge in my career. It's also a club goal, to win our sixth Champions League title. I, in particular, will do everything possible to make it happen. And I'm sure the players are thinking the same thing."