Lamine Yamal has learned, far too early, what it means to live under constant scrutiny at the elite level. At Barcelona, pressure is not seasonal—it is permanent. And now, as the club navigates another demanding campaign, that same environment has once again taken its toll on a senior star. While Yamal continues to thrive amid expectations few teenagers could handle, a more established teammate has been forced to confront the darker side of elite soccer. What initially looked like an unfortunate physical setback for Raphinha has since revealed a far more complex and unsettling backstory.
At Barcelona, where excellence is demanded every week, the margin between brilliance and burnout is razor-thin. With Yamal and Raphinha both central to the club’s attacking identity, the contrast between youthful resilience and accumulated mental strain has rarely been clearer.
From a purely sporting perspective, the Blaugrana are relieved. After nearly two months on the sidelines, Raphinha has returned in emphatic fashion. In just five starts since his comeback, the Brazilian has delivered four goals and one assist, including a decisive strike against Villarreal.
The numbers underline his importance. At 29, he remains one of the club’s most productive wide attackers, capable of stretching defenses, delivering end product, and setting the tempo in the final third. His absence earlier in the season was deeply felt, especially during a congested run of fixtures that tested squad depth. Yet while his form since November has been outstanding, the story of how he ended up sidelined for so long is far more troubling than a routine muscle injury.
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The injury that refused to heal
Raphinha’s problems began in September during a league win away at Real Oviedo. What was initially diagnosed as a manageable hamstring issue was expected to keep him out for just three weeks. Instead, it marked the beginning of a prolonged and frustrating spell on the sidelines.
As the calendar moved toward October, pressure mounted. Barcelona was approaching El Clasico, and the temptation to accelerate his recovery proved costly. The forward returned before fully healing—and suffered a relapse. That second setback extended his absence by another month.
The winger has since taken responsibility for the decision, admitting that the rushed comeback contributed to the recurrence. But behind the scenes, club officials believe there was more at play than physical misjudgment.
Raphinha of FC Barcelona
The hidden reason revealed
According to Cadena SER, several Barcelona officials believe Raphinha’s initial injury was linked to Ballon d’Or stress—the psychological strain surrounding soccer’s most prestigious individual award. Journalist Sique Rodriguez explained the internal view clearly: “At the club, there are those who attribute one of this season’s injuries to several aspects. Among them the Ballon d’Or and the days after. Because he expected to be among the top three and he finished fifth. There are people within the club who attribute that injury to the stress of the whole week.”
For Raphinha, the 2025 ceremony in Paris was not just an honor—it was an emotional blow. After a sensational Champions League campaign in which he finished as joint-top scorer and leading assist provider, expectations inside his camp were sky-high. Finishing fifth came as a shock.
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The disappointment did not end there. Weeks later, Raphinha was also left out of FIFA The Best World XI, a decision that reignited frustration inside the club. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick did not hide his anger, publicly criticizing the omission in a pre-match press conference.
For Flick, the snub was another example of how individual accolades often fail to reflect actual performance on the pitch. For the player, however, the accumulation of setbacks—emotional, mental, and physical—appears to have reached a breaking point earlier in the season.
