There has been an air of inevitability surrounding Barcelona throughout this transfer window. Not just the way that they have sourced money to spend on new recruits or seemingly decided transfer targets based on the interests of other clubs, but the confidence in which it has all happened.
When Chelsea were first reported to be in the position of losing Andreas Christensen to Xavi's side it was a kick, losing a Champions League winning defender for free hurt. Then came the Cesar Azpilicueta reports, that he wanted a move back to Spain. Now Chelsea had to seriously start to prepare for the loss of their captain.
Hope bubbled that the Blues might get one over the Catalan club when Thomas Tuchel's interest in Ousmane Dembele arose. With some twists and turns, he stayed in Spain as well. 3-0 Barcelona.
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It wasn't until Todd Boehly had actively swiftly and decisively to tempt Leeds into accepting a £55m offer for Raphinha that any news of Barcelona's own interest in the player surfaced. It felt like a cruel game. It was never to mind though, the likeliness of Joan Laporta finding a way to pay extra for Raphinha was unlikely. That is, until an old Chelsea foe came back to convince the Brazilian that Camp Nou was the place to be.
Ronaldinho, the scorer of one of the most bamboozling goals at Stamford Bridge, was Raphinha's idol, and given he had previously admitted that Barcelona really was a dream destination, Chelsea were just a side thought. 4-0.
Upon the 25-year-old's arrival in Spain it became understandable as to why a move to Chelsea was secondary on his list of priorities. Raphinha has previously said: "I will give everything to help Barca become Barca again. It would be fantastic if I could be half as good as Ronaldinho.
"My dad was a childhood friend of his so we ended up being close. Because of the person he is, I’ve always been inspired by him both as a person and a player. Since I was little he was my greatest idol because of the way he played. The joy and spontaneity he played with on the pitch and the happiness that emanated from him, I always admired him for that.”
There are obvious comparisons to be made between the two. Raphinha's tricky style and enigmatic flair make him one of the most watchable players in the league. He's one of the best dribblers and could reasonably start to increase his numbers of goals and assists as he enters a higher level of football.
You can see in his game where his dream style came from, and if it's Ronaldinho, then the chance to emulate him was just too good to be true.
“I always wanted to be like Ronaldinho," said Raphinha. "The things he did, the way he enjoyed every minute on the pitch… I was transfixed. I felt he gave everyone a promise when he played: give me the ball and I’ll make you smile.”
Their admiration is seemingly mutual as well. The retired winger had already praised Raphinha, saying in 2020, “He has a lot of quality, he would fit in very well with Spanish football due to his playing characteristics.”
Chelsea have missed out on a very good player in Raphinha, but when a player sets his heart on a club it's always tough to counter that. It's the same reason that Robert Lewandowski made his choice to consider and move to Spain over Chelsea and why luring Frenkie De Jong away could be a hard task for Boehly and Tuchel. That's six transfers in one window that Barcelona have over Chelsea, add a possible Marcos Alonso deal and there's seven.
Jules Kounde might be a consolation for the Blues this summer, though Barcelona are once again trying their best to slow that deal down as well, although the Spanish club have their history and their pull, and when it comes to Ronaldinho, Chelsea have missed the chance to have their own version.
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