Raphinha, whose full name is Raphael Dias Belloli, is a Brazilian professional soccer player known for his impressive skills as a winger. Born on Dec 14, 1996, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Raphinha began his football journey in the youth ranks of various Brazilian clubs before making his professional debut with Avai FC in 2015.
His exceptional performances quickly caught the attention of European clubs, leading to his move to Portugal’s top-flight league, Primeira Liga, where he joined Vitória de Guimarães in 2016. Raphinha’s dynamic playing style, pace, agility, and technical ability, made him a standout performer for Vitória de Guimarães.
Raphinha, a winger for Barcelona, expressed his admiration for Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid. During Los Blancos’ most recent 1-0 loss to Valencia at the Mestalla, Vinicius was the target of abhorrent racist taunts from the crowd.
In that game, he was also dismissed, a choice that has subsequently been reversed. How the young player was treated during the game shocked the football community. Raphinha has now sided with his fellow countryman.
It is bad that such treatment is being meted out to a skilled attacker like Vinicius. One can only hope appropriate steps will be taken to stop such events.
Despite Real Madrid and Barcelona’s rivalry, racism is a problem that goes beyond football. When discussing the Vinicius scenario in his pre-game press conference versus Real Valladolid, Xavi expressed a similar viewpoint.
The Spaniard asserted that football is the only occupation in which insults are tolerated. He further asserted that such events call for the suspension of matches.
Xavi mentioned, “Yes, matches should be stopped. It is the only profession in which insults are accepted. I don’t see any baker or teacher being insulted at work. All this has to be stopped. Try insulting a building worker. I’m sure a brick will fall on your head.” (an article on sportskeeda reported)
He further added, “It doesn’t matter what shirt you wear. Vinicius is a person before he is a footballer. We have to defend the football professional. I don’t understand as a person, as a citizen, that you have to put up with insults.” (an article on sportskeeda reported)