A nightmare for Barcelona: Raphinha comes off injured in Australia match
Major concern in Catalonia
Barcelona's fears have turned into painful reality. Raphinha suffered a muscular discomfort during his appearance for Brazil against Australia, leaving the pitch at the start of the second half in a worrying blow to the Catalan club, which had feared its star would pick up an injury during the international break.
According to the Brazilian network "Globo", Raphinha felt discomfort in his right thigh, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to replace him with Endrick at the start of the second half. The winger had completed the first period in perfect fashion, scoring Brazil's second goal from a penalty in the 45th minute to make it 2-2.
His exit comes at an extremely sensitive time for Barcelona. Raphinha's physical condition had specifically worried the club before the current break began.
"Marca" revealed a few days ago that Barcelona were paying Raphinha special attention because of his exceptional level this season, along with his gruelling schedule with the Brazilian national team. That includes matches in Australia and India, plus the long travel hours and physical exhaustion that come with them.
The newspaper explained that Raphinha had returned from previous international breaks carrying physical problems, which made Barcelona approach his current call-up with greater concern.
Those fears were not unfounded. Brazilian reports before the break indicated Raphinha had picked up injuries during his last two call-ups with the national team.
Last March, the Barcelona winger suffered a muscular injury during Brazil's clash with France. He was forced to leave the national team camp and return to Barcelona, then missed five weeks.
Raphinha also suffered an injury to the back of his right thigh during the last World Cup, in the match between Brazil and Haiti. The problem kept him out of two national team fixtures. The "GE" site, affiliated with "Globo", confirmed at the time that examinations proved a muscular injury in the right thigh, and indicated the player had suffered several problems in the same area during the previous period.
Will Raphinha be absent from Barcelona?
So far, there is no final diagnosis of the nature of Raphinha's injury or the length of his absence. "Globo" described the situation as a minor discomfort in the right thigh.
What makes the situation so delicate is Raphinha's exceptional start to the season. He has scored 14 goals in his first 8 matches with Barcelona, according to reports that preceded the international break, making him one of the team's most prominent and influential players.
Hansi Flick had admitted before the break that watching Barcelona's players leave for their national teams worried him. He said he feels concern every time they depart the club, and that he tries to deal with it positively and trust the national teams' technical staff.
Barcelona now await the medical examinations Raphinha will undergo. Only then will they know whether this is merely a passing discomfort or a fresh muscular injury that could threaten his availability for the Catalan side once the international break ends.
The stakes climb higher given the legendary start he is enjoying with Barcelona this season. The Brazilian switched from winger to centre-forward to deliver the best goalscoring start in the club's history across the first eight official matches, netting 14 goals, including 12 in the first seven rounds of the Spanish league.
