Barcelona star Raphinha revealed that he was close to playing for the Italian national team, but unfortunately for the Azzurri, his citizenship paperwork was delayed, making a 180-degree change of direction and heading back to his native Brazil.
Despite his rise to stardom with Sporting Lisbon, then Rennes and Leeds United, Rafinha’s Brazil debut was delayed until October 2021 due to coach Tite’s belief that there were better options at right wing.
“I was close to representing Italy,” Raphinha told reporters. “I was supposed to play in Euro 2020, which they won. I was really ready to join at that time.”
He added, “Fortunately, the passport was delayed, so I wasn’t able to join the Italian national team at that time.”
He continued, “I received constant calls from Italian Football Federation officials, and Jorginho (the national team captain) was in constant contact with me. There was a great plan for me, and that really caught my attention.”
He continued, “But at the same time, deep down, I still held onto that one percent hope that I would wear the Brazil jersey. And fortunately, that’s what happened in the end.”
Since October 2021, Raphinha has represented Brazil in 33 international matches, scoring 11 goals. He also played in the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América for the Selecao.
