Raphinha sets aside Barcelona win after Aston Villa double

Raphinha declined to discuss Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa despite scoring twice and being named player of the match.

The Brazil forward’s goals helped Barcelona secure an important win in the Champions League league phase on Tuesday evening, with the match taking place at Camp Nou in the fourth round.

However, Raphinha chose not to celebrate his personal performance or his team’s result. Instead, the Barcelona captain used his post-match interview with Movistar to offer his condolences and support to the family of Jesus de Miguel, the Tenerife player who died earlier that day.

Clearly affected by the news, Raphinha said the circumstances meant there was no place for football discussions or celebration while the Spanish football community was dealing with the tragedy.

“I don’t want to talk about football. I want to send all my support and strength to Jesus’ family, and I hope he rests in peace. Today is not the right day to talk about football,” he said, in comments highlighted by Spanish newspaper Marca.

Raphinha also described the difficulty of taking part in the match after learning of the death.

“This could happen to anyone. It is extremely tough, especially after we heard the news. It is difficult to go out and play a match in circumstances like these, because it could happen to you or to someone close to you. Today is not the right day to talk about football,” he added.

The result was nevertheless another significant moment in Raphinha’s Barcelona career. His two goals saw him become the highest-scoring Brazilian player for the club in the Champions League.

He moved ahead of former Barcelona greats Neymar da Silva and Rivaldo to claim the record.