{
  "id": 11872146,
  "title": "Former Leeds United trainer reveals Raphinha’s secret: ‘His dream was to…’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/former-leeds-united-trainer-reveals-raphinhas-secret-his-dream-was-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-04T07:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/former-leeds-united-trainer-reveals-072000379.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Leeds United fitness coach Alejandro Lorenzo has shed light on the ambition that propelled Raphinha to stardom. Lorenzo revealed that the Brazilian's dream was to play for Barcelona, inspired by one of the club's greatest Brazilian icons, Ronaldinho. He explained that during rehabilitation, Raphinha spoke to Lorenzo about his desire to play for Barcelona, owing to the allure of playing alongside Ronaldinho.\n\nLorenzo recalled the extraordinary intensity of Raphinha's performance at Leeds, which he had never witnessed before. Despite Leeds being among Europe's most intense running teams under Marcelo Bielsa, Raphinha consistently outperformed his teammates. The coach highlighted that Raphinha made the most sprints among his teammates, even covering more metres at high intensity than his peers.\n\nLorenzo also praised Raphinha's professionalism and his relentless pursuit of marginal gains. The coach mentioned that Raphinha had even installed a hyperbaric chamber at home and regularly discussed nutrition and recovery with Leeds' fitness staff. Lorenzo noted that Raphinha had no fourth gear; he was always in fifth gear, constantly striving to improve.\n\nThe coach further noted that Raphinha's intense mindset had been a defining factor in his development at Barcelona. Hansi Flick, Raphinha's current coach at Barcelona, has been able to harness this intensity and transform him into a more complete attacker. Raphinha's journey at Barcelona has been remarkable, with the player constantly improving and refining his game since joining the Catalan club.\n\nLorenzo expressed his belief that Raphinha's potential was undeniable. While securing the dream move to Barcelona might have seemed like the end for many players, Raphinha continued to progress every season. The player's current form at Barcelona, leading the attack, is vastly different from the one that played at Leeds United, showcasing his growth and development.",
  "summary": "Long before Raphinha became one of Barcelona’s leaders and a football superstar, the Brazilian already knew where he wanted his career to take him.His rise to stardom at the Catalan club has been in...",
  "key_points": [
    "Raphinha's dream was to play for Barcelona, inspired by Ronaldinho.",
    "Raphinha consistently outperformed teammates during Leeds' intense training.",
    "Raphinha's intense mindset led to his development at Barcelona."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Leeds United’s Jean-Mattéo Bahoya sustains injury with France’s U21s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/leeds-uniteds-jean-matteo-bahoya-sustains-injury-with-frances-u21s",
        "published": "2026-10-04T08:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}