Barcelona announced on Thursday that skipper Raphinha has put pen to paper on a new deal running to 2030. The two-year extension keeps the Brazilian forward at Camp Nou after a season in which he has become the club's most dangerous attacker.
The Brazilian forward, aged 29, arrived at the Catalan club in 2022 and previously had a deal that would have expired in 2028.
Barcelona's statement on Raphinha's intention
The club's statement read: “A declaration of intent. Our dear captain will continue to lead our project until 2030,”
Back in September, Raphinha had made clear his wish to prolong his stay, and even suggested he might finish his playing days at Barça.
This campaign has seen him at the peak of his powers, with 19 goals and three assists from 13 appearances across all competitions.
Raphinha's now plays a central role
Raphinha has also shifted into a central role from the wing where he usually operates, filling the void created by the departures of forwards Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
Since German coach Hansi Flick arrived in 2024, Raphinha has been the most dangerous attacker at Barça, helping the club win La Liga in consecutive seasons.
Barcelona have acted swiftly to keep Raphinha at the club for longer, adding two more years to a contract that had been set to run out in 2028, after his striking reinvention as a centre-forward.
Raphinha, the Brazil international aged 29, has scored 19 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions so far this calendar year, including a brace in Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa.
From Leeds winger to Barcelona's left flank
After Barça's summer attempt to sign Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez came to nothing, they turned to Raphinha to cover for the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
Having arrived from Leeds United in 2022 as a right-sided winger, Raphinha has produced his finest football for the Catalans on the left flank under Hansi Flick.
Operating down that left side, he scored 34 times in 57 matches in 2024-25, then added 21 in 33 last season.
Yet with no recognised senior centre-forward on the books during preseason, Flick placed him through the middle, with Anthony Gordon and Lamine Yamal on either side.
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Why Raphinha prefers staying central
Ahead of August's LaLiga opener at Elche, Flick put a question to Raphinha: did he feel at ease staying as the No.9, or would he prefer to go back to the left? He replied that he was glad to keep playing centrally.
The returns since then have been ruthless. Here is how his season has unfolded:
- He found the net in seven of Barça's opening eight games, the exception being the 4-2 win over Levante, when he set up two goals instead.
- Before the most recent international break he scored hat tricks in consecutive games, against Racing Santander and Sevilla.
- An injury sustained on Brazil duty ruled him out of the next two Barça matches.
- He came back into the starting line-up for the losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, scoring in the Clàsico defeat.
- He has since netted twice in each of his last two matches, against Alavés and Villa.
His goals have driven Barça's strong start to the season, with 13 victories from 15 matches, as they prepare for Sunday's LaLiga showdown at Atlético Madrid, with top spot at stake.
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