A leading member of the attacking ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona has this weekend moved to make clear his appreciation for head coach Hansi Flick.
The player in question? Raphinha.
Wide-man Raphinha, for his part, is of course in the midst of nothing short of a spectacular individual campaign to date.
At last looking fully at home in the colours of Barcelona, the former Leeds United man has exploded to the tune of a head-turning 32 goals and 25 assists across all competitions.
So impressive has Raphinha’s season been to date, that the Brazilian international is considered as being among the frontrunners for the next Ballon d’Or.
Much of the credit for this sudden outburst has been afforded to the aforementioned Hansi Flick, whose all-out attack-minded system has gotten the most out of Raphinha’s talents.
And as alluded to above, the significance of as much has not been at all lost on the part of the 28-year-old himself.
Speaking during an interview with Movistar (as cited by journalist Fabrizio Romano) late this week, Raphinha went as far as to claim:
“I will be forever grateful to Hansi Flick. He changed my entire career. He wanted to see me train before taking any decision with my future. He saw me in his plans. Without Flick, I was maybe at another club and not at Barça now”.
Conor Laird – GSFN
