“I was close to accepting the offer from the Italian national team.”
These are the words of Barcelona star Raphinha, Idman.biz reports.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) made “strong efforts” in 2020 to convince Raphinha to play for the Italian national team before he debuted for Brazil in 2021.
Speaking about this, Raphinha also revealed that Jorginho, the Brazilian-born Italian midfielder, tried to persuade him to accept the offer.
The 28-year-old footballer had been playing in the Premier League with Leeds United since 2020 and moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2022.
Thanks to his Italian roots through his father, Rafael Dias Belloli, Raphinha was eligible to play for the Italian national team.
Even though he represents Brazil internationally, Raphinha is not considered a non-EU player at Barcelona because he holds an Italian passport.
Barcelona’s director Deco also confirmed that FIGC had tried to recruit Raphinha for the Italian national team.
If Raphinha had accepted the offer, he wouldn’t have been the only Italian-Brazilian in Roberto Mancini’s squad: Jorginho, Emerson Palmieri, and Rafael Toloi—also of Brazilian origin—were part of the Azzurri side that won Euro 2020.
In an interview with journalist Isabela Pagliari, Raphinha admitted: “I was set to go to Euro 2020, which they ended up winning. I was almost fully ready. The guys from the Italian team called me. I always talked with Jorginho. The fantastic offer from the Italians really appealed to me. But at the same time, I still had the hope of wearing the Brazil national team jersey. Luckily, my Italian passport didn’t arrive in time.”
Idman.biz
