Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has explained why he repeatedly substituted Raphinha around the hour mark during his time at the Camp Nou, telling Romario in a YouTube interview this week that the changes reflected in-match performance rather than any personal issue with the Brazil international.
Xavi, who signed Raphinha from Leeds in 2022, said he pushed the club to sign the winger and trusted him throughout, even though the player has since admitted he felt the staff did not fully back him in his early months. The comments arrive as Raphinha enjoys a far stronger season under Hansi Flick.
Xavi framed his decision making in straightforward managerial terms. “I always gave Rafa confidence and I have a very good relationship with him. But the coach has to understand the performance during the games. If a player is not performing, another one has to come in,” he said.
The argument is reasonable but incomplete. Raphinha’s frustration was not that he came off occasionally, but that he came off so often around the hour mark that it became a pattern. Repeated early substitutions of the same player tend to read as a lack of confidence regardless of the manager’s intent, and Raphinha himself has previously described the relationship as “strictly professional”.
Xavi then described a private exchange with the player during a difficult spell. “We also had players capable of making a difference. I remember a very good conversation with Raphinha in training. He was frustrated and I told him: ‘Rafa, you’ve signed here for five years. Don’t worry. Confidence. You’re not being natural, but calm,'” he said.
The line “you’re not being natural” is the most revealing part. Xavi is admitting that Raphinha was playing within himself under his coaching, which is exactly what the substitutions reinforced rather than fixed. The manager identified the symptom but kept using the tool that aggravated it.
“I understand that the changes didn’t help him, but now he’s exploded. We already saw a lot of talent in him and I’m very happy, because he’s a good guy, a winner, responsible and a leader,” Xavi added.
That conclusion is gracious but it also hands the credit to his successor. Under Flick, Raphinha has produced 34 goals and 22 assists in 57 matches, compared with 10 goals and 10 assists in 50 appearances under Xavi. The numbers do not just show a player rediscovering form; they suggest a system that suits him better.
Xavi also confirmed that the signing itself was his call. “I was the one who signed Rafinha, and I was the one who told the club to sign him,” he said, adding that he had wanted the winger while he was at Al Sadd in Qatar.
“Later, at Barcelona, I told Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany that we had to sign him because he’s a winner, he attacks deep, he’s strong in one-on-one situations, and he scores goals,” he said.
