Raphinha heading back to Barcelona as Brazil confirm injury blow

Barcelona winger Raphinha is on his way back to Catalonia after the Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed he sustained a muscle injury in Thursday’s friendly against France. The 27-year-old was forced off at half-time of the 3-3 draw at Stade Vélodrome and will now miss Monday’s meeting with Croatia in Lisbon.

A brief statement released on Friday evening said imaging tests had “confirmed muscle injuries” to both Raphinha and teammate Wesley, who complained of pain in the posterior region of their right thighs. Neither player will be replaced in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, leaving Brazil to continue preparations with a reduced roster.

Barcelona medical staff are braced for what club sources fear could be a recurrence of the hamstring issues that have interrupted Raphinha’s past two campaigns, although the exact grade of the lesion and projected recovery time remain undisclosed. The winger will undergo further evaluation once he lands in Spain, where club doctors will determine whether conservative treatment or a more intensive rehabilitation protocol is required.

The timing is less than ideal for the Blaugrana, who enter a pivotal stretch of La Liga fixtures and the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie next month. Raphinha has started the current domestic season in electric form, registering four goal involvements in his last five league appearances.

For Brazil, the setback compounds an already testing international window. Ancelotti’s side laboured to a draw against Les Bleus and now face a Croatian outfit fresh from a confidence-boosting win over Tunisia. Without Raphinha’s direct running and set-piece delivery, the manager must reshuffle an attack that struggled for cohesion in Marseille.

The Seleção conclude their March friendlies on Monday before players return to their clubs, leaving the coming hours crucial for both national and medical teams to map out a recovery plan that minimises time on the sidelines.