Raphinha received plenty of praise after his performance for Barcelona against Atlético Madrid. The Brazilian scored his first goal since September after a spell out injured and thus contributed to Barça’s home win over Diego Simeone’s Atlético.
Raphinha received plenty of praise after his performance for Barcelona in the 3-1 home win over Atlético Madrid.
The Brazilian, who started the night wearing the captain’s armband, scored his first goal since September after a spell out injured and played a central role in helping Barça turn the game around against Diego Simeone’s side. In a match billed as one of the key tests of Barcelona’s season, the winger delivered exactly the kind of statement display the team and the supporters had been waiting for.
Atlético struck first and silenced the Olympic Stadium when Alex Baena finished off a quick move to put the visitors ahead. Barcelona looked nervous in the early stages, misplacing passes and struggling to break through Atlético’s compact defensive block. In that context, Raphinha’s energy and constant willingness to receive the ball wide on the right became one of the main outlets for the home side. He repeatedly attacked his full-back, drove inside to combine with midfielders and tried to inject tempo into an attack that had started the game in slow motion.
The key moment in his individual performance came just before the half-hour mark. After Barcelona recovered possession high up the pitch, Pedri spotted Raphinha’s diagonal run in behind the Atlético back line and slid a perfectly weighted pass into space. Raphinha timed his run to stay onside, knocked the ball past Jan Oblak with a delicate touch and then finished calmly into the empty net for 1-1. It was a goal that combined movement, composure and speed of thought, and it clearly lifted the entire stadium. From that moment on, Barcelona were visibly more confident, pushing Atlético deeper and deeper.
Barcelona eventually completed the comeback and ran out 3-1 winners, turning what had looked like a complicated night into an important statement victory. The second half saw the home side control territory and possession for long stretches, while Atlético were forced to defend closer to their own penalty area and rely mainly on counterattacks. Even when Raphinha was no longer directly involved in the goals, his constant pressing and willingness to sprint back in transition helped keep Atlético under pressure and prevented them from building clean attacks from the back.
What made the night even more remarkable was the context of Raphinha’s season. After suffering an injury at the end of September, he had missed several weeks of action and had to fight his way back to full fitness. His first matches after returning at the end of November were mainly about finding rhythm and confidence again. Against Atlético, however, he looked physically sharp and mentally free, combining his usual explosiveness on the ball with smarter decision making in the final third. His goal, the first since his injury, felt like both a personal relief and a symbolic turning point.
Simeone himself highlighted that impact afterward. The Atlético coach pointed to Raphinha as one of the main reasons why Barcelona managed to tilt the contest in their favor, praising his work rate, his ability to create danger and the way he never stopped pressing. Simeone even suggested that a player so decisive should be closer to the very top of individual awards, and commented that he did not really understand why Raphinha had not won the Ballon d’Or. In the voting for the prize this year, the Brazilian ended up fifth, directly behind Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain, which already placed him among the game’s elite.
Key players
On the Barcelona side, Hansi Flick’s words left no doubt about how the coach sees Raphinha within the squad. The German manager again underlined that the Brazilian is a key figure for the team. In Flick’s eyes, every time Raphinha steps onto the pitch, he raises the overall intensity and sets the tone for how aggressively Barcelona press and attack. The coach pointed out that against Atlético the winger contributed with far more than just his goal: his constant sprints, his work off the ball and his courage to keep demanding the ball in tight spaces gave Barça a strong personality in the final third.
Flick’s relationship with Raphinha has gradually grown stronger since the Brazilian’s return from injury. After the match against Alavés, the two were seen in a long conversation on the pitch, and the coach again took time after the Atlético game to speak with him, reinforcing the idea that he sees the player as one of the leaders of the project. Handing him the captain’s armband from the start against such a strong opponent was also a clear message to the dressing room that Raphinha is trusted, not only as an individual talent but as a reference figure for the group.
Pedri was another name heavily praised by the coach. The midfielder, who had also spent several weeks on the sidelines with physical problems, showed flashes of his best level once more. His assist for the 1-1 goal encapsulated what he brings: vision, precision and the ability to speed up the play with a single pass. Flick decided to take both Raphinha and Pedri off around a quarter of an hour before the end, a decision that reflected not dissatisfaction, but a desire to protect two players who are still carefully managing their workloads after injury. The coach later explained that Pedri is fine but still a little tired, and stressed that the midfielder is an extraordinary player whose influence grows with every game.
The absences also shaped the narrative of the night. Flick could not count on Frenkie de Jong, who was ruled out through illness, which meant that others had to step up in midfield. In that sense, performances like Pedri’s and the support work from the wingers became even more important. Barcelona’s ability to dominate large spells of the match without one of their main midfield orchestrators underlined the value of the squad’s depth and the versatility of several players.
From Raphinha’s own perspective, the evening felt like another step forward on the road back to his best level. The Brazilian admitted that Barcelona had gone through a period where the team played below its potential in several matches, but he believes the side is now moving in the right direction again. Victories in high pressure encounters like this one, against a direct rival for Champions League places and possibly the title, are seen by him as crucial building blocks toward winning trophies later in the season. He spoke about feeling increasingly strong physically, while acknowledging that the process of reaching peak condition is not yet complete.
That was evident when both he and Pedri asked to be substituted in the final stages. Rather than a sign of weakness, it reflected a mature reading of their bodies and of the long season ahead. Neither wanted to risk a relapse after finally stringing together several matches in a row. Raphinha is currently focusing on a specific plan to regain full fitness, working closely with the club’s medical and fitness staff, and believes that by managing his minutes wisely now, he will be able to offer his maximum level when the decisive matches arrive in spring.
For Barcelona as a whole, the 3-1 victory over Atlético felt like more than just three points in the table. It served as a reminder that, with key players like Raphinha and Pedri close to their top form, the team still has the tools to compete at the highest level in Spain and in Europe. The energy in the dressing room after the final whistle reflected that belief. The fans left the stadium not only happy with the result, but also with the feeling that one of their most talented and charismatic attackers is once again ready to be a difference maker in the big games.
Updated: 11:25, 3 Dec 2025
