History suggests Barcelona must be wary of Raphinha’s gruelling 35,000km international expedition
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Raphinha could hardly be heading into the international break in better form. The Barcelona captain has been unstoppable in front of goal, but the next three weeks will test his body in a very different way.
The 29-year-old is set to travel close to 35,000 kilometres with Brazil, playing three friendlies across Australia and India before returning to Barcelona.
He is due to play in Townsville on 25 September, Brisbane on 29 September and Kolkata on 3 October.
A huge workload at the worst possible time
The schedule alone gives Barcelona reason to be cautious.
Raphinha will travel across multiple time zones, train repeatedly after long-haul flights and potentially feature three times before returning to Hansi Flick.
What makes the situation more concerning is his recent history with Brazil. Raphinha suffered a right hamstring injury against France during the March international break.
Raphinha has had a torrid time with Brazil in recent months. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Barcelona subsequently announced an estimated five-week recovery period, which ruled him out of important club fixtures.
Then came another setback at the World Cup in June. Raphinha suffered another muscular injury in the back of his right thigh against Haiti.
He required intensive treatment and did not feature again for the Selecao in their disastrous World Cup campaign.
Barça’s concerns on this occasion actually have a basis rather than being part of the usual club-versus-country debate.
Barcelona cannot afford another Raphinha setback
The timing makes this particularly worrying for Barça because Raphinha is currently playing at an extraordinary level.
His hat-trick against Sevilla took him to 12 goals from seven La Liga matches, helping Barça maintain their perfect league start.
He has become even more important to Flick following his move to the No. 9 position after the club missed out on Julian Alvarez back in the summer.
Nobody can reasonably expect Brazil not to use one of their leading players. Raphinha is important for his country and international football matters enormously to him.
However, Barcelona should be in close communication with Brazil and try to convince them to manage his workload.
The concern is not simply the three matches. It is the combination of minutes, approximately 35,000 kilometres of travel, disrupted recovery routines and Raphinha’s recent injury history.
Flick will need to manage his return even more carefully
The international break can usually provide clubs with an opportunity to reset. For Raphinha, it will be almost the opposite.
Barcelona can only hope Raphinha returns without any trouble. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Barcelona already know what happened during his previous spells with Brazil this year. March ended with a five-week absence, while June brought another injury to the same thigh region.
Even previously, during Hansi Flick’s season, Raphinha seemingly lost momentum after long travel during an international break.
That does not mean history will repeat itself. However, it does mean Barça have every reason to be cautious when their captain finally returns from his journey around the world.
The onus is not just on Brazil to manage his workload during the international window but also on Barça to handle him properly once he is back.
Raphinha is currently too important and playing too well, and the hope is that both Carlo Ancelotti and Hansi Flick will place the utmost priority on handling his fitness in the coming weeks.