Barcelona star Raphinha gave a surprising response, If he would ever play for Leeds United again in an interview after his MOTM vs Newcastle United,
Raphinha issues his verdict on Newcastle United after Barcelona thrash them
Newcastle United, rather surprisingly, did enough to earn praise from Barcelona star Raphinha after their heavy Champions League defeat on Wednesday evening.
After a spirited first half display, Newcastle United were thrashed by Barcelona as their Champions League dream came to a crashing halt.
It was cruel, but Newcastle were architects of their own downfall. Eddie Howe’s side defended dreadfully and capitulated after half time.
Still, Raphinha – who scored twice while registering two assists – was full of praise for the Magpies.
Raphinha says Newcastle are “spectacularly” strong
Speaking to UEFA, the Brazilian international claimed that this Newcastle team are “spectacularly” strong.
He said: “That was a complicated match against a team we knew would be tough physically. They’re strong, spectacularly so. I knew from my time in the Premier League what they’re like. Especially at St James’ Park so I thought to come here having drawn in Newcastle was very good.”
Howe’s side certainly looked like it at times in that first half. However, top teams can repeat that over the course of a full game, and the second half proved a bridge too far for them.
Frankly, the tie was probably lost in the first leg. Newcastle were better than Barca at St James’ Park but eventually let them off the hook by not being ruthless enough.
Why Newcastle United collapsed against Barcelona
To say that Newcastle were defending well in the first half would clearly be an understatement.
All three of the first half goals could easily have been avoided. However, at least Newcastle were in the tie, and they caused problems of their own.
In Howe’s view, however, it was the concession of a penalty on the stroke of half time that changed the game.
Kieran Trippier pulled Raphinha down after a fine move from Barca, although it could be argued that it wasn’t necessary.
Lamine Yamal then converted it and gave Barca a slender lead and Howe doesn’t think his team ever recovered from that.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Howe said: “Psychologically we didn’t recover from that moment. The second half was tough. It was a painful experience.”
Raphinha was thrilled with Barcelona’s dominant 7-2 win over Newcastle United, saying he knew from his time in the Premier League what they’re like. “I knew from my time in Premier League what they’re like,” Raphinha reflected on the tough win against Newcastle ¹.
The Brazilian forward had a standout performance, scoring two goals and providing two assists. He opened the scoring in the sixth minute, capitalizing on a misplaced backpass, and then scored again in the 72nd minute after intercepting a poor pass from Jacob Ramsey ¹ ².
Raphinha praised Lamine Yamal’s key role in his first goal, saying, “Lamine told me he was keen to take it” when discussing the penalty decision. He also highlighted the team’s chemistry, celebrating with teammates after the win ¹ ³.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised Raphinha’s performance, rating him 9/10. “Raphinha was able to prove his quality in big games with an emphatic performance,” Flick said
Raphinha’s been doing great at Barcelona, and there’s no indication he’ll be returning to Leeds United anytime soon. He left Leeds in 2022 for a reported £55 million, and since then, he’s become a key player for Barcelona, even finishing fifth in the Ballon D’Or rankings in 2025
While there’s been speculation about his future, Raphinha’s focus seems to be on his current team. Manchester United is reportedly preparing a massive £105 million offer for him, which could tempt Barcelona to let him go. But for now, it looks like he’s committed to Barcelon
