{
  "id": 14963342,
  "title": "La Liga: Flick convinced me to stay at Barcelona, says Raphinha",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/la-liga-flick-convinced-me-to-stay-at-barcelona-says-raphinha-14963342",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T13:32:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/la-liga-flick-convinced-me-to-stay-at-barcelona-says-raphinha/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Barcelona winger Raphinha has revealed that Hansi Flick's arrival changed his mind about leaving the club. The Brazilian had already decided to depart when Flick joined, but the coach's words of confidence convinced him otherwise. Raphinha told Fabrizio Romano, \"I knew I was leaving Barça. I had already made that decision mentally... then Flick arrived.\" Flick's assurance that he was an integral part of his plans gave Raphinha renewed belief in his role at the Catalan club.",
  "summary": "Barcelona winger Raphinha has revealed that he was mentally prepared to leave the club before the arrival of manager Hansi Flick. According to Punch Nigeria, the Brazilian had already decided to depart but changed his outlook after Flick assured him that he was an important part of the manager's plans. Raphinha stated that Flick's words of trust provided him with renewed belief in his role at the Catalan club.\n\nRegarding his current fitness, Yahoo Sports reports that Hansi Flick confirmed Raphinha will be available for selection for the upcoming La Liga match against Real Betis. The forward had missed two games following an international break due to a minor muscle issue sustained in Brazil.\n\nWhile Raphinha is eager to return to the starting lineup, Flick noted that he intends to be cautious with the player's minutes. Yahoo Sports reports that while Raphinha trained well with the team, the manager plans to take a step-by-step approach ahead of upcoming matches against PSG and Real Madrid.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "La Liga: Flick convinced me to stay at Barcelona, says Raphinha",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/la-liga-flick-convinced-me-to-stay-at-barcelona-says-raphinha",
        "published": "2026-10-16T13:14:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}