FC Barcelona were down in the dumps when Joan Laporta took over as the president in 2021. Since his tenure started, not all of his decisions have gone down well with the fanbase but it is safe to say that the club is in a better position now than they were before.
When Laporta took over, Barcelona had a very poor squad that was not competitive at the highest level. They had gotten knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage and things were looking very bleak across all fronts.
However, under the guidance of director of football Mateu Alemany and sporting director Jordi Cruyff, Barcelona rebuilt, brick by brick. The efforts were there for everyone to see, as the Catalan club lifted the La Liga title in the 2022/23 season on the back of a summer of massive investment.
Why Raphinha!
One of the high-profile players Barcelona bought that summer was Raphinha. Speaking about the transfer in a long interview with SPORT, Jordi Cruyff has explained the idea behind signing the Brazilian from Leeds and has also mentioned the name of an alternative that the club had in mind. He said:
“Raphinha: we’d been watching him for a while. There were others, like Antony from Ajax, but, when dealing with Fair Play, you have to minimize risks even with big investments. If a successful Premier League player doesn’t fit at Barça, he still retains value. But if you spend big on a Dutch league player and it doesn’t work out, no one will buy him back.”
Cruyff further went on to highlight how Barcelona beat competition to sign Raphinha and what he brought to the table. He continued:
“Raphinha had a big market in England. Many clubs wanted him. Statistically, he always delivered double digits. He brings balance, often in invisible ways. He’s the first to press after losing the ball. A role model. Last season, he was spectacular: stats, work ethic, winning mentality… a good signing. In football, you never know, but we all thought it would work.”
Three years in, it is safe to say that one of Barcelona’s best signings in recent times has been Raphinha. His 2024/25 season under Hansi Flick was one for the history books and he finally became a fan favourite at the Catalan club.
It could have been Antony
However, the more interesting part of this transfer saga was that Barcelona considered Manchester United attacker Antony as an alternative back when he was at Ajax. It is safe to say that two Brazilian’s couldn’t have had more contrasting career paths since, even if they tried.
While Raphinha is tearing it up in La Liga on a weekly basis, Antony’s time at Manchester United has been catastrophic and he is spending the current summer trying to find a permanent move away from Old Trafford.
Barcelona fans will always be grateful to both Cruyff and Alemany for getting us Raphinha and choosing him over Antony. Let’s hope the club captain can continue to dazzle in a Blaugrana jersey for many seasons to come.
