1 week Ago By Rob Swan
Raphinha cut an angry and frustrated figure following Barcelona’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Real Betis on Saturday evening. With Real Madrid slumping to a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia earlier in the day, Barca had the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of La Liga to six points. However, the gap is currently four points with eight matches remaining after Barcelona were held to a draw at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
Gavi opened the scoring for the hosts in the seventh minute, but Natan’s 17th-minute equaliser levelled the scores and ultimately secured a point for Betis. Race For La Liga Title (April 5) Position Club Played Points 1. Barcelona 30 67 2.
Real Madrid 30 63 3. Atletico Madrid 29 57 4. Athletic Bilbao 29 53 Raphinha , one of this season’s standout performers in European football and an early contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award , was surprisingly named among the substitutes by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick.
He entered the fray in the 57th minute, replacing Ferran Torres and taking his place on the left flank alongside fellow forwards Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal. Raphinha was unable to help Barca find the winning goal, though, and the Brazilian’s emotions were clearly running high at full-time as the opportunity to move further clear of Real Madrid went begging. The former Leeds United winger confronted the referee after the match had ended and was promptly waved away by his teammates, including Lewandowski.
As Raphinha walked off the pitch, footage captured the South American angrily smashing a ball away. The 28-year-old was then spotted pushing away his teammate Marc-Andre ter Stegen before heading down the tunnel. Watch the clip in full below: Another video of the incident shows that Raphinha was angry with the match officials, specifically the assistant referee.
Raphinha wanted answers after the full-time whistle and Ter Stegen’s unwanted intervention led to the German goalkeeper receiving a push from his disgruntled teammate. Raphinha may have been particularly perturbed because Barcelona had just been denied a potential corner with the final action of the game. Raphinha’s last-gasp dangerous cross may have been deflected behind by a Real Betis defender, but referee Gil Manzano blew the final whistle before the corner could be taken.
The race for the 2025 Ballon d'Or award begins with Vinicius Junior and Lamine Yamal among the early front-runners. Hansi Flick Reacts to Raphinha's Behaviour Flick, who explained that he benched Raphinha due to the amount of football the Brazilian has played for club and country lately, was asked about his player’s angry reaction. Speaking to reporters after the match, Flick said, per The Metro : “He was angry with me, not with the referee, he was yelling at me.
” Barca Universal add that, despite the heated scenes, Gil Manzano’s post-match report made no mention of the incident . As a result, Raphinha’s outburst is likely to be viewed as a moment of emotional release, rather than misconduct and no sanctions are expected. However, Flick will be relying on Raphinha - one of his star players - to keep his composure between now and the end of the season as Barcelona aim to finish the season as champions of La Liga and Europe.
The Catalan giants are also through to the Copa del Rey final, where they will face fierce rivals Real Madrid on April 26..
