Raphael Dias Belloli (; born 14 December 1996), known mononymously as Raphinha, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Barcelona, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his pace, work rate, playmaking ability, and finishing.
Raphinha began his career with Brazilian club Avaí, before signing for the Portuguese Vitória de Guimarães in 2016, where he made his professional debut. In 2018, he joined fellow Primeira Liga club Sporting CP, winning the double of the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga in 2019.
After having played for Rennes and Leeds United, Raphinha signed for Spanish club Barcelona in 2022 for a transfer worth €58 million (£50 million). Despite initially struggling, in 2024–25, Raphinha had his breakthrough season, being integral to Barcelona winning a domestic treble of the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España, while also finishing as the Champions League's top scorer.
After never being capped at youth level, Raphinha made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2021, and was part of their squads for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 2024 Copa América and 2026 World Cup.
Early life Raphinha was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and grew up in Restinga, a favela far from the city centre. His father is of Italian descent and his mother is mixed-race Brazilian. His father was a jobbing musician who played in a samba band. Raphinha has described a difficult upbringing: he shared a bedroom with his parents, his younger brother and the family's pets, sometimes could not afford the travel to matches, and occasionally had to ask strangers for food.
When he was seven, Raphinha went to Ronaldinho's birthday party, where his father's band was playing; his father and uncles knew Ronaldinho, whom Raphinha now counts as a friend.
As a teenager, Raphinha played in the várzea tournaments around Porto Alegre, which he describes as "a network of independent matches and tournaments organised by the local community". Any player could take part, and the level was well below that of professional clubs' academies. He has recalled playing on clay pitches in intense heat, often with no nets and not enough shirts to go round. Home supporters threatened visiting players in their changing room before matches, and gunshots sometimes went off nearby.
Club career Early career After starting out in a social project, Raphinha went through the football schools of Internacional and Grêmio, but both clubs turned him away for being too small and frail. He later said his trials there each lasted a week and ended with the same excuses. He then played for Porto Alegre, a club run by Ronaldinho's brother Roberto Assis, and returned to várzea football when that club folded. From there he joined the youth ranks of Audax, but the club was sold in 2013, about a year after his arrival.
Disillusioned after leaving Audax, Raphinha accepted an invitation to join the under-20 side of Imbituba in 2014. In around six months with the club, he helped the team finish as runners-up in the second-tier Santa Catarina under-20 championship, and his performances earned him a move to Avaí.
At Avaí, Raphinha played for the under-20 team and was promoted to the first-team squad in October 2015. By his own account, an injury towards the end of that year cost him his place in the under-20 side. Left out of matchday squads and told to train on his own, he came close to quitting before his mother persuaded him to carry on. He nevertheless impressed for the under-20s at the 2015 Copa RS and the 2016 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. Weeks later, in early 2016, he left Avaí after two years at the club, without having made a senior appearance for the club.
Vitória de Guimarães
On 2 February 2016, Raphinha signed for Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães, having been scouted at the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior by Deco, who signed him to his agency, D20 Sports, and arranged his transfer to Vitória. He made his debut for the Vimaranenses on 13 March 2016 against Paços de Ferreira. He scored his first goal for the club against Marítimo on 20 August 2016. He made his first appearance in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League on 14 September 2017 against Red Bull Salzburg. He won the Vitória Guimarães Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2017. He scored 18 goals during 43 games (in all competitions) during the 2017–18 Primeira Liga season for Vitória de Guimarães.
Sporting CP In May 2018, Raphinha transferred to Portuguese club Sporting CP until 2019. He made his debut on 12 August against Moreirense. He scored his first goal for the club on 20 September 2018 against Qarabag in the 2–0 victory in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. He struggled in finishing with only four goals and as many assists, in particular due to a muscle injury which hampered his progress, but was a part of the side that won the 2018–19 Taça da Liga and Taça de Portugal, scoring a penalty in the penalty shootout victory against Porto.
Rennes Raphinha signed for Ligue 1 club Rennes in 2019, with a transfer fee around €21 million, the club's record signing. He scored and gained an assist in his final game for the club during the 2020–21 Ligue 1 fixture against Reims in a 2–2 draw on 4 October 2020. He scored eight goals and gained seven assists during his time at the club, where he helped Rennes to a third-place finish and qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League during the 2019–20 Ligue 1 season.
Leeds United
On 5 October 2020, Raphinha joined Premier League club Leeds United on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee reported to be in the region of £17 million, or about €20 Million.
On 19 October 2020, Raphinha made his debut as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. His full debut was at home to Arsenal on 22 November 2020. On 28 November 2020, Raphinha scored his first Leeds goal in a 1–0 away win over Everton. His winning goal secured Leeds' first ever Premier League win at Goodison Park and their first league win at Everton since 1990. He finished the season with six goals, all from league fixtures.
Raphinha scored his first goal of the season on 21 August 2021, in Leeds' first home game, a low-struck 72nd-minute equaliser from just inside the penalty area, in a 2–2 result against Everton, which was nominated as one of the Premier League's Goals of the Month for August.
Raphinha ended the season as Leeds' top goalscorer with 11 goals, including the first goal of the game in the 2–1 away win against Brentford on the last day of the season, from the penalty spot after being fouled by the Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, saving Leeds from relegation to the Championship.
Over the summer transfer window, Chelsea had an agreement in place with Leeds to sign him, with both clubs agreeing a fee worth of £55 million, despite Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur's interest. However, Raphinha preferred a move to Barcelona, despite their financial struggles. This led to Raphinha flying to Barcelona to complete a deal, being left out of Leeds's squad for their pre-season tour to Australia in order to finalise a transfer.
Barcelona On 15 July 2022, Raphinha signed for La Liga club Barcelona on a five-year contract for a reported initial fee of £50m, potentially rising to £55 million in add-ons. He was initially presented without a name or number on his shirt due to registration issues, with the club needing to sell players to register players and make new signings.
2022–24: Adaptation to Spain and La Liga title
On 13 August, Raphinha made his debut for the club in 0–0 draw against Rayo Vallecano in the league. On 3 September, he scored his first goal for Blaugrana in a 3–0 victory over Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. On 13 September, he made his continental debut for the club starting in the 2–0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. At the end of the group stage, Barcelona finished third, which put them in the Europa League knockout round play-offs for the second consecutive season. Signed to be a replacement for struggling Ousmane Dembélé, both competed for a starting spot with manager Xavi insisting that he wanted to keep both players, hoping to breed competition between them for starting spots on a team that was short on wingers. Over the course of the season, Dembélé's resurgence in form limited his opportunities to impress at his preferred right-wing position.
On 16 January 2023, Barcelona won the 2023 Supercopa de España final, following a 3–1 victory over rivals Real Madrid in El Clásico, winning his first title with the club. On 16 February, Raphinha assisted and scored in a 2–2 draw against Manchester United in a knockout round play-off in the Europa League at the Camp Nou. Barcelona was eliminated from the tournament after losing 2–1 at the away leg at Old Trafford. In the second half of the season, he was handed a chance to impress when Dembélé picked up a muscle injury, but was inconsistent over that period, leading Raphinha to be in and out of the starting XI. On 14 May, he assisted Robert Lewandowski's second goal, as Barcelona defeated Espanyol 4–2 in the Derbi Barceloní, confirming them as La Liga champions.
After missing part of the new season, Raphinha struggled to meet the expectations of fans and Barcelona's management in La Liga, despite support from his manager Xavi. He eventually lost his spot in the starting XI to young prospect Lamine Yamal, who had already scored during Raphinha's absence due to injury and at the end of the first part of the season, he had scored only three goals.
Despite a disappointing overall season, Raphinha played a key role in Barcelona's Champions League campaign, being involved in two goals in their 3–1 win over Napoli on 12 March, in the home leg, knocking them out with a 4–2 aggregate score. On 10 April 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal by netting a brace in a 3–2 away win against Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in the quarter-final first leg, and awarded as the Player of the Match. In the return leg at home, despite scoring the opening goal, the Parisian team overturned the aggregate score with a 4–1 win, eliminating Barça.
2024–25: Breakthrough season and goalscoring achievements Despite recording 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 appearances in his previous season, Raphinha's future at the Spanish club was uncertain and with Xavi leaving the managerial role, he was linked with a move away from the club, in order for Barcelona to raise funds amid their financial difficulties. He was the recipient of a contract offer worth €90 million from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, with Barcelona's sporting director Deco informing his agent to look for another team for him. However, Hansi Flick, who replaced Xavi as the new manager, decided to keep him. Raphinha was selected as one of the team's captains for the season after a squad vote.
Flick began his tenure with a different tactical approach than his predecessor, he positioned Raphinha centrally, behind Robert Lewandowski and flanked by wingers, which saw his form improve dramatically. On 31 August 2024, he scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona in a 7–0 thrashing at home against Real Valladolid in a La Liga match. Later that year, on 23 October, he scored a hat-trick in the Champions League in a 4–1 home win against Bayern Munich in the group stage and was named Player of the Match. A few days later, on 26 October, he netted his first goal in El Clásico and provided an assist in a 4–0 away win over Real Madrid. During the match at the Santiago Bernabéu, Raphinha and his Barcelona teammates Lamine Yamal and Ansu Fati were targeted with racial abuse by a group of home supporters.