By Daily Sports Nigeria on May 23, 2025

Raphinha says his "dream is to be at Barcelona until the end of my career" after signing a new deal that will keep him at the La Liga club until 2028.

The Brazil winger has scored 34 goals and registered 25 assists in 56 appearances this season as Hansi Flick's side completed a domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

"It's something very special, and feeling part of the Barca family for another year makes me feel very happy," said Raphinha, whose previous deal ran until 2027.

"I've told my family before that my dream is to be here until the end of my career and I hope to be able to do so but at my best level."

The 28-year-old joined Barca in 2022 from Leeds United, having scored 17 goals during two seasons in the Premier League.

After registering only 13 league goals during his first two seasons in Spain, Raphinha was a possible candidate to be sold as Barcelona faced financial issues.

But the 2024-25 season saw a remarkable turnaround as he scored 18 goals to help the club reclaim the La Liga title.

Raphinha also contributed 13 goals and nine assists in Barca's run to the Champions League semi-finals, attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League and Saudi Arabia.

After a stellar season, he is also considered a contender for the Ballon d'Or, along with his club team-mate and Spain winger Lamine Yamal and Paris St-Germain's French forward Ousmane Dembele.

Raphinha was also voted one of Barca's five captains for the season alongside Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.

"I'm now Raphinha, the dad and the captain," he said.

"I have more responsibility than when I arrived but well, the years go by and you mature and I think I've matured a lot since I got here.

"But I think I can still mature a lot more and with the help of everyone, I hope to become a better person and a better footballer.

"I want to keep scoring a lot of goals, assists and above all keep winning a lot of titles in this shirt. This is my personal goal."

Barcelona will finish their season at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Source BBC Sports

Posted May 23, 2025

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