Barca Blaugranes · May 5, 2025
Barcelona star Raphinha explains how he almost played for Italy
Photo by Andre Ricardo/Sports Press Photo/Getty ImagesFC Barcelona’s Raphinha has now represented Brazil at two major tournaments, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2024 Copa América, and played with many other qualifiers and friendlies with his home country.
But it almost never happened. The forward was close to representing Italy instead, donning the famous blue shirt and white shorts instead of the yellow shirt and blue shorts of Brazil. And he may even have won the Euros in the process.
Raphinha is considered a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or now, but he never received youth call ups from any national team, and he was not a global name when he joined Leeds United from Rennes in 2020.