For an entire generation of Leeds United supporters, Raphinha is arguably the best player they’ve ever seen pull on that famous white shirt.
Whilst the Brazilian was not in West Yorkshire for the longest amount of time, he certainly made a massive impact during his two seasons at Leeds.
Under Marcelo Bielsa, Raphinha shone. He was a major reason why the Whites finished 9th in a historic return to the Premier League in 2020/21. Our second season back in the top flight wasn’t as fruitful as a team. But, Raphinha’s heroics kept us in the division before earning him a £55million move to Barcelona.
Raphinha speaks glowingly of Liam Cooper during Brazil press conference
Now, the 29-year-old has recently revealed the one player who helped him the most during his time at United.
Raphinha is currently gearing up for the World Cup with Brazil. Carlo Ancelotti’s men square off against Morocco on Saturday in their first group game.
However, in the pre-match press conference, Raphinha was asked by a Scottish Sun reporter of his thoughts on former teammate, Liam Cooper.
Raphinha spoke glowingly of the former United captain. And, he claimed Cooper was a big reason why he was able to adapt to life in England.
“Liam was a guy who really helped me a lot from the very first day I arrived at Leeds United. He helped me to adapt, especially with the language, because I didn’t speak the language,” Raphinha said.
“I had no English at all, and I wasn’t used to the football there – and especially the cold weather. Liam was someone who really helped to me to adapt into the club and brought me in with all the players.
“Without understanding anything, he tried to talk to me! I look back, and Liam was someone who gave me peace of mind to be able to play good football at Leeds. It was really important to have support from someone like him, who had been at the club longer.”
Nice to see Raphinha speak about a former Leeds United teammate this way
As Leeds fans, we’ve been accustomed to seeing many players tarnish their Elland Road legacies once they leave the club. The likes of Rio Ferdinand and Harry Kewell spring to mind.
However, Raphinha continues to be classy whenever he is asked about his time at Leeds. Along with his mind-boggling talent, that’s another reason why he’s still held in high regard in West Yorkshire.
Fresh off winning his third La Liga title with Barcelona, Raphinha will also be looking to add the World Cup to his trophy cabinet. The majority of Leeds fans will be cheering him on as long as Brazil aren’t playing England.
Now, as Leeds fans, we can hope that if we continue to stabilise ourselves in the Premier League, then we can attract more players of Raphinha’s quality to Elland Road.
Hopefully, at some stage, we can afford to keep these players around rather than being forced to sell them on.
