Euphoria in Brazil with Raphinha: "He will be one of the main candidates for the Ballon d'Or"

Raphinha remains steadfast on his path to the Ballon d'Or. The performance of the star from FC Barcelona establishes him as the best player in the world at present. Last Thursday, against Colombia, the winger once again delivered a memorable performance, scoring one goal and assisting another in Brazil's 2-1 victory. The player's presence is crucial for the 'verdeamarela' locker room, as Marquinhos, the captain of the national team, made known.

In the press conference before the match against Argentina, the PSG center-back stated that "Raphinha is a phenomenon, both as a player and as a person, now you can see the potential he has, everything he can do, and we in the national team have been seeing that for some time now".

"There are leaders in the group that people may not notice, and today people see Raphinha's leadership"

"There are leaders in the group that people may not notice, and today people see Raphinha's leadership, but we saw it before. Even when he recently joined the national team, he showed physical leadership, defensive leadership from the front, and offensive leadership as well. He has always been someone who takes responsibility on the field, in the locker room, always talking, always participating in discussions and meetings", revealed the defender.

Marquinhos continued to shower praise on 'Rapha', asserting that he is one of the candidates to win the Ballon d'Or. "As a player, there is no need to talk. Everyone can see his level and he is already among those fighting for the Ballon d'Or. If he continues with this performance until the end of the season, he will surely be one of the main candidates", he stated.

The 'confrontation' of Raphinha with Vinicius and the importance of his leadership

The Paris Saint-Germain center-back also commented on the episode Raphinha had with Vinicius during the match against the 'Cafeteros'. The Barcelona star advised the Real Madrid player to stop protesting and to make the substitution ordered by Dorival Júnior on the bench without wasting time, as if '7' received a yellow card, he would miss the match against Argentina.

"As a person, he is an excellent guy, great in his daily life, very intelligent in the group, he always has the right word at the right moment and that conveys and demonstrates the importance of his presence. This was shown in his behavior with Vinicius, where he demonstrated what a leader he is, what a director he is, and how important he is for us," affirmed Marquinhos.

"I was on the other side of the field, completely exhausted, limping from a cramp, and he went to remind Vinicius not to get a yellow card"

"The group is made up of these kinds of people, a group that is not built solely on self-reflection. At that moment, he was only thinking about the group. I was on the other side of the field, completely exhausted, limping from a cramp, and he went to remind Vinicius not to get a yellow card at that moment, telling him: 'Get out of here'", concluded the defender, thus highlighting the figure of a Raphinha who continues to demonstrate himself as a star both on the field and in the locker room.