Barcelona forward Raphinha has insisted he could not turn down a move to the club when they came to sign him from Leeds United this summer.
The Brazilian completed a £52.2m move to the Nou Camp midway through July following months of speculation about his future at Leeds.
He had been the star of the show at Elland Road since arriving from Rennes in a £16.74m deal in October 2020, scoring 17 goals and registering 12 assists in 67 appearances for the club.
That led to persistent rumours about his future, with several sides in the top six in the Premier League all thought to be keen.
Indeed, Chelsea made an effort to secure his signature midway through the window, but it was Barcelona who won the race.
They had been negotiating a deal with Leeds for several months, using their connection to Raphinha’s agent, former Barcelona midfielder Deco, to put them at the front of the queue.
It seems for the forward, though, there was only one place he was going to end up and that was Catalunya.
“If you’ve come this far, you already know that these short stanzas tell a lot about my life,” he told UOL.
“And I keep dribbling, now at Barcelona, with the shirt that my father’s partner in this song made history. But before that dream came true, a lot happened.
“When people ask me if I imagined leaving Leeds for the biggest club in the world, which is Barcelona, and joining the Brazilian national team within a year, I answer that I not only imagined it, but also managed to achieve it.
“With a lot of effort and dedication I achieved what I always wanted. I had a lot of offers after my time at Leeds, but I knew exactly what I wanted.
“My childhood idols played for Barcelona, so I had the dream of coming here and I spared no effort to achieve it.
“I already talked about my family’s relationship with Ronaldinho Gaúcho, and he is one of my idols who wore this shirt. I didn’t get to talk to him before I came here, but I’m sure he would tell me to follow my dream.”
