Brazil manager Tite has admitted he was initially unaware of Leeds United winger Raphinha prior to his initial call-up. Raphinha was handed his Brazil debut in October and has not looked back since, establishing himself as first choice in their front three alongside Neymar and ahead of Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.
The 25-year-old has scored three goals and provided two assists in nine caps so far for his country and helped them secure qualification for the World Cup in Qatar later this year. His rise on the international stage comes amid a strong individual season for Leeds, in an otherwise difficult year for the club.
Raphinha netted 11 goals and provided three assists over the course of the campaign, and his displays in the up until Christmas arguably single-handedly kept Leeds out of the bottom three. From the Whites’ first season back in the Premier League, it was only really Raphinha who was able to continue his form into the second one after six goals and nine assists in his debut campaign.
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And in an interview with the Times, Seleção boss Tite has revealed he did not know much about Raphinha until his first call-up, claiming that it was his scouts who were initially insistent on ensuring he was given an opportunity.
He said: “The scouting staff came to me saying, ‘Have a look at this lad, we have been scouting him closely’. I was not paying much attention, but they insisted. ‘Look at his numbers!’. Then we phoned [Marcelo] Bielsa, and he gave us information that supported the conclusions. His quality is impressive.”
