Ex-Leeds United star Raphinha breaks silence on unexpected pain but 'heaviest shirt' pride

Raphinha broke into the Brazil set up as he continually starred for former club Leeds and the 25-year-old played a key role in helping his nation qualify for the Qatar World Cup as runaway winners of the CONMEBOL qualification group. Having left Leeds to join Barcelona in the summer, the winger was then named in Tite’s World Cup squad and Raphinha started both of Brazil’s first two group stage games before being brought on as a late substitute for the group stage finale against Cameroon, ahead of which Brazil were already through.

The ex-Whites star was then back in the XI for the round of 16 cruise against South Korea which booked a quarter-final against Croatia who were big underdogs to upset a team who had long been established as favourites to be crowned champions in Qatar. Raphinha once again started against Croatia but the attacker was substituted in the 56th minute and could only watch on as a rollercoaster of emotions ended with the huge pain of defeat on penalties.

Plenty of Brazil’s stars were relatively quick to express their feelings on their social media pages but Raphinha took a bit more time before posting on Tuesday afternoon. Raphinha wrote on Instagram: “Well, after a few days thinking about what I could write, I confess that I have no words at the moment. Wearing and defending the heaviest shirt in world football is a gift.

"To represent the Brazilian national team and compete in the World Cup, a dream. The desire to achieve was very strong, very great, but it was interrupted so unexpectedly and very painfully. Will still need some time, to clear the head and try to understand the all the feelings of the past few weeks. From the joy of achieving a boy’s dream to the frustration of having our goal interrupted, it still hurts and it hurts a lot.

"However, the sadness will pass, it may take time, but the gratitude for having been part of this group will be internal and unforgettable. Thank you to every single person who committed fully, worked tirelessly and stood together through every win and also when things didn’t work out. Pride remains, just like that, the goal of putting another star on our chest continues. Thank you very much to everyone who prayed for us and continue to dream with us.”