Raphinha puts Barcelona heroics aside after death of Tenerife player

Raphinha declined to discuss Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa despite scoring twice and being named player of the match, choosing instead to dedicate his post-match message to the family of Tenerife player Jesus de Miguel, who died hours before the game.

The Brazil forward struck two goals as Barcelona secured a valuable win in the fourth round of the league phase of the Champions League on Tuesday. The match was played at Camp Nou, where his performance also helped him reach a historic personal milestone.

However, Raphinha’s focus after the final whistle was not on Barcelona’s result or his own contribution. Speaking to Movistar, the Barcelona captain appeared deeply affected as he addressed the death of de Miguel and the impact it had on the Spanish football community.

“I do not want to talk about football,” Raphinha said, in comments reported by Marca. “I want to send all my support and strength to Jesus’ family, and I hope he rests in peace. Today is not the right day to talk about football.”

He said the news had made it difficult for the players to prepare for and take part in the match.

“This could happen to anyone. It is extremely difficult, especially after we heard the news,” he added. “It is hard to go out and play a game in circumstances like these, because it could happen to you or anyone close to you. Today is not the right day to talk about football.”

Raphinha’s two goals helped Barcelona win 3-0 against Aston Villa, but the Brazilian did not dwell on the result during his interview. His comments instead centred on the effect of de Miguel’s death and the difficulty of celebrating on such a day.

The match nevertheless brought another notable achievement for Raphinha. By scoring twice, he became the highest-scoring Brazilian player for Barcelona in the Champions League, moving above former club greats Neymar and Rivaldo.

Despite that record and his decisive role in the victory, Raphinha maintained that football was secondary following the news of de Miguel’s death.