Raphinha leads Brazil's qualification for the 2026 World Cup

With Raphinha back in the lineup, Brazil added a narrow victory against Paraguay (1-0) with which they secured their qualification for the next World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti recovered the FC Barcelona winger, who again led the attack of the 'canarinha', this time wearing his number in the azulgrana team (the '11').

Rafa started the action that led to Vinicius Jr.'s goal, beating two rivals with a dribble and a rebound in his favor. The ball fell to Matheus Cunha and he enabled the '7' to break the tie before halftime.

In total, the Barça forward completed 2 shots on goal in 3 attempts, 33 of 37 passes (89%) and created a couple of goal opportunities. In addition, he had 7 defensive actions and 6 recoveries during the 90 minutes, although he only won 5 of 12 individual duels.

Now, the Porto Alegre native will enjoy a month of vacation with the rest of the Barça squad. The group will return to work on July 13 to start the preseason. After a couple of weeks of physical recovery at the Ciutat Esportiva, the culés will travel to Asia (Japan and Korea) to play several friendlies against local teams.

Raphinha closes his best season with qualification for the World Cup

In this way, Raphinha closes his best season as a professional with qualification for what will be his second World Cup. The azulgrana winger was a starter in four of Brazil's five matches in Qatar 2022, just six months after his arrival in Barcelona.

In that tournament, the winger received criticism from the local press, for not contributing goals or assists. In 24/25, however, he produced 57 goals (34G/23A) with Hansi Flick's team, by far his best campaign, with numbers that keep him as a candidate for the next Ballon d'Or. 

Looking ahead to next season, Rafa is shaping up as the team's starting attacking midfielder, pending the incorporation of another left winger. Luis Díaz, for the moment, is the favorite to reinforce the culé attack.

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Carlo Ancelotti, delighted with Raphinha: "He is a spectacular player"

After the match, Carlo Ancelotti praised his players, especially the azulgrana forward, who was suspended for the match against Ecuador (0-0). "Raphinha combines quality with extraordinary physical work. He is a spectacular player," commented 'Carletto'. Against Paraguay, the Italian opted for the azulgrana '11' as a right winger, while Gabriel Martinelli took care of the right wing.

Matheus Cunha, the brand new Manchester United signing, played as an attacking midfielder, with Vinicius as a '9'. However, the four attackers had a lot of mobility, with Cunha continuously alternating his position with Rafa and Vini doing the same with the Arsenal winger.

Finally, the goal came in the 44th minute, on the verge of halftime, at the feet of the Real Madrid forward after a good low cross from Cunha from the right. Brazil has 25 points, the same as Ecuador (2nd) and can no longer be reached by Venezuela (7th with 18 points) with only a couple of matchdays to play.

The 'canarinha' is the only team that has managed to qualify for all the World Cups since the first edition in 1930 (23) and the maximum winner of the FIFA trophy, with 5 (the last one, in 2002).