Raphinha has revealed that he’s come close to quitting professional football due to the pressures and difficulties he’s faced during his career.
The Barcelona star, who is currently on international duty with Brazil, says that even recently he’s thought about giving it all up and walking away from the sport.
“A few times in my career, I say even a few times very recently, I thought about giving up everything because of personal problems, professional problems, I thought about giving up, giving up football,” he told reporters.
“I wouldn’t have to go through some mental problems or some difficulties with aggression in media matters or even because of the fans, for not doing what they think I should be doing. I’ve thought about giving up, I thought about quitting football. But nowadays I have a greater strength, which is my son.”
Raphinha then seemed clearly emotional when talking about his son and how he is the reason he has kept going.
“It broke me, man. Imagining that one day my son could see me as an inspiration in football, not being the best player in the world, but just being a reference for him is worth a lot,” added.
“Being able to see my son grow up and being aware seeing his father play football, representing big clubs, was a big motivation to continue with this idea of not giving up football. And also my dream of winning titles with the Seleção shirt. This weighed heavily on my decision.”
Brazil and Raphinha are currently preparing for their first game of the Copa America against Costa Rica. The Selecao go on to play Paraguay and Colombia.