Brazilian star Raphinha plans to repay the faith shown in him by new coach Carlo Ancelotti at the World Cup after repeatedly proving to be the Italian’s enemy in previous encounters at club level.
The pair faced each other for three years in Spain, when the 29-year-old forward was at Barcelona and Ancelotti was on Real Madrid’s bench.
Ancelotti left Madrid at the end of last season after a season in which Raphinha scored as he captained Barca to a 4-0 win at the Bernabeu in La Liga and scored twice as the Catalans won 4-3 in the reverse fixture on their way to taking the title.
He also played in the Barcelona teams that defeated Ancelotti’s Real in the finals of the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
READ ALSO | Neymar continues to be absent from Brazil training as the team celebrates Ancelotti’s birthday
«What he has achieved in football is admirable, not only for those who worked with him, but also for his opponents,» Raphinha told reporters at the Brazilian team’s World Cup base in New Jersey on Wednesday.
“It was always very difficult to stand up to him, but I was lucky that I often came out smiling.
«Now I hope to do for him all the things I did against him. To get good results for him and for the team, because they really deserve it.»
Ancelotti leads Brazil in a bid to end a 24-year wait to win a record-extending sixth World Cup at the tournament in North America.
The former AC Milan and Chelsea coach celebrated his 67th birthday on Wednesday, three days before the Selecao open their World Cup campaign against Morocco in Group C at the MetLife Stadium, just outside New York City.
Brazil will go into that match without Neymar, who was called up for the tournament despite not being capped since 2023 due to injuries and will now miss Saturday’s match due to a calf problem.
Offensive leader
Raphinha may have to step up in Neymar’s absence, four years after his first World Cup, in which he played in every match but failed to score as the Selecao headed to Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals in Qatar.
“I think I felt more pressure in 2022 because I was more immature. I was quite new to the national team and had just arrived at Barcelona,” said the former Leeds United winger.
«I didn’t feel quite at home in the Brazilian selection yet. I feel much better prepared now.»
He is coming off a season in which he scored 21 goals and added a further eight goals in all competitions as Barcelona won La Liga.
But he missed five of Brazil’s six friendlies between October and March due to injuries.
He and Vinicius Junior, who played under Ancelotti in Madrid, were the only two Brazilians to feature in the top 30 of the Ballon d’Or last year and will carry much of the attacking responsibility for their country heading into the World Cup.
«We are the only country to have won five World Cups. You cannot play in a tournament like this if you are not ready to handle the pressure,» he said.
«We’re very confident. We’ve had years of frustration because we had teams that were capable of winning and didn’t. And none of us want any more frustration.»
Brazil also plays against Haiti and Scotland in the group stage.
Published on June 11, 2026
