Raphinha's Barcelona momentum halted by right thigh injury
Raphinha's stellar start to the season for Barcelona has been interrupted by right thigh injury concerns after he was substituted at half-time in Brazil's match against Australia and withdrew from international duty. He looks set to miss Barcelona's next two fixtures.
The 29-year-old has scored 14 times and provided three assists as the Spanish champions have recorded eight successive wins in all competitions, a form that prompted debate after his omission from the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist. His scoring and creative contributions this term have contrasted with his 21 goals in all competitions for Barcelona during the 2025-26 season.
Raphinha withdrew from Brazil duty with a right thigh injury after being taken off at half-time against Australia, the club confirmed. "The tests show something," Barcelona boss Hansi Flick told the media. "It's not a serious injury, but we have to be careful because he had three injuries last year, and we have to take care of him."
Flick defended Raphinha's decision to play for his country and outlined concerns over the travel involved. "It's the national team and everyone wants to play for their national team," he said. "That's Raphinha's mentality. Always give 100%."
The manager also questioned whether the friendly in Australia was necessary given the travel demands on players. "We must reflect on whether it was necessary for him to play in Australia, travelling so many thousands of kilometres," added Flick. "It's incredible. They have to choose friendly matches and in Europe it is not possible because of the Nations League."
Barcelona face a congested schedule that includes meetings with Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid this month in the Champions League and La Liga respectively. The champions sit top of La Liga, five points clear of Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, with Real Madrid a point further back in fourth place; they thrashed Feyenoord 5-1 in their Champions League opener and have scored 36 goals while conceding eight across competitions.
At the start of the season there were concerns over a lack of an established number nine after Robert Lewandowski's exit, and Raphinha has often been used as a false nine rather than on the wing. For now, fellow Brazilian Gabriel Jesus — a deadline-day arrival from Arsenal in September — is likely to cover Raphinha's absence, and Flick has alternative options with Anthony Gordon, Dani Olmo and Karim Adeyemi who could all operate as a false nine if required.
Raphinha is the team captain and has been central to Barcelona's high-intensity approach, with his finishing emerging as a prominent feature of his game. He is a former Leeds United player and could equal the 2013-14 record for the best start to a La Liga season if Barcelona beat Getafe for an eighth straight league win; last season he was restricted to 33 appearances because of recurring fitness issues and a hamstring injury, played seven times in the Champions League but was absent when his side went out in the quarter-finals with defeat by Atletico Madrid, and his tally of 21 goals helped deliver the league title while he scored twice in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid.
Barcelona will expect Raphinha to miss the next two matches: Getafe on Saturday and then the European trip to Galatasaray.
