Raphinha was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil where he grew up in Restinga, a favela far from the city centre. His father is of Italian descent and his mother is mixed-race Brazilian. His father was a jobbing musician.
He had a challenging childhood. He describes sharing a bedroom with his parents, younger brother, and pets. They struggled to pay travel costs and sometimes had to beg for food.
At age seven, he attended Ronaldinho’s birthday party. This was due to his father and uncle’s relationship with the player. They have since become friends.
Before starting his professional football career, Raphinha participated in the várzea tournaments until the age of 18. He describes these as “a network of independent matches and tournaments organised by the local community.” They are below academy level and any prospective player is allowed to participate.
The matches in these tournaments are played under harsh conditions. Home fans harass opponent team players near changing rooms before matches. There are gunshots. The pitches are clay with dust and sand. The heat is intense. Posts are used instead of nets, and teams play shirtless due to the lack of bibs.
After unsuccessful trials with Internacional and Grêmio, Raphinha started his career playing youth football with Imbituba. He was later scouted by Avaí. Raphinha began his career at the age of 18 with Avaí’s under-20 team. This was in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2014. After being injured, he was unable to make the squad but continued to train on his own. Many of Brazil’s top clubs showed growing interest in Raphinha. Despite this, Avaí retained him until 2016. He showcased his skills at Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior.
In February 2016, Raphinha signed for Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães. He was scouted at the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior by Deco. Deco signed him to his agency, D20 Sports, and arranged his transfer to Vitória.
Raphinha now has as many El Clasico goals as Ronaldinho & Rivaldo 🇧🇷⚽️ pic.twitter.com/qa1TFHP2Ni
— LiveScore (@livescore) May 12, 2025
From his modest early start in football things have exploded. He progressed well from his days in Portugal. He first joined Sporting Lisbon and later Rennes. Then, he made his breaking move to Leeds United.
His time at Leeds defined him as a major footballer. This also gave him international recognition. He made his full international debut for Brazil in 2021, a year after his arrival at Elland Road. He scored 17 goals in 65 Premier League games for The Whites.
On 15 July 2022, Raphinha signed for Barcelona on a five-year contract. The reported fee was £55 million, including add-ons. Since the arrival of Hansi Flick, he has evolved to a higher level. He has gone from being a traditional winger to a more centrally positioned second striker role. This shift allowed him to exploit spaces between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines. He made diagonal runs into the box or drifted inward while other forwards, such as Robert Lewandowski, provided width.
Raphinha was not confined to the flank. This allowed him to stretch the defensive structure. He created additional space and opportunities for himself and his teammates. His quick change of pace helped facilitate link-up play with players like Dani Olmo. His intelligent movement also supported attacking moves from deeper positions.
He is on 33 league appearances so far. His total tally of league goals are 18. Watching his heatmap from this season shows how movable he is and what a fantastic outcome this has been.
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