Raphinha: Yamal Was a Little Frustrated During the Match, I Encouraged Him That He Would Score

After scoring twice to help the team secure a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona captain Raphinha was interviewed by Movistar+, where he discussed the importance of such a strong start in boosting the team's confidence.

A winning start with consecutive victories

I think that in front of our fans, we have to deliver a nearly perfect performance. We started the match in very good form from the beginning and took our chances to score many goals. With the support of the fans, everything becomes much easier. This kind of start gives us a lot of confidence.

The season is long, and there will be many ups and downs. This kind of start has given us a lot of confidence. We want to maintain it, shorten periods of poor form as much as possible, and continue to put in excellent performances.

Excellent personal form

I have always been working hard to score goals.

Yamal scores the first free kick of his professional career

I know Lamine (Yamal), and I know that when things do not go well during a match, he can become frustrated. I tried to encourage him and told him that he would score, so he would not lose confidence. In the end, he really did score, and I was very happy for him. He needed that goal. This is how a team with a winning mentality is built: one player feels happy for another player's performance. I also often have games where I do not score, but if I know I played well in that match, I can still be very happy.

Not included on the Ballon d'Or shortlist

I do not talk about the Ballon d'Or. I talk about Barcelona. We are experiencing a fantastic season.