"I had very high offers, but I wanted to be at Barca"

One of Barcelona's biggest stars this season has been Raphinha. The winger has silenced the critics with good performances and with 34 goals and 22 assists in all competitions. The Brazilian has granted an interview to ‘Mundo Deportivo’ and the medium has published a small preview of the interview.

"Yes, it was my goal since I arrived: to be here for many years, even more than I had in the old contract. This was going through my head from the first moment since I arrived. But I knew that to renew I had to perform and give my best in every game and training session," he began.

On the rumours of a possible departure: "Since I arrived, in every market there were rumours that I was leaving, that I was no good for this club. But I knew my ability. I am not here as a gift from anyone. I'm here because of my work and what I did at other clubs and with the national team. It's not a lack of level.

"But I'm at Barca, a big club, a demanding team, and if you don't give what people expect, it's normal to be criticised: they say it's better that you leave, that you don't have the level to play in this shirt.... But I knew what I could give to this club. I knew that if I worked hard and the results came, people would change their opinion. And that's what happened," he said.

Raphinha revealed that he even turned down offers: "This shows that it wasn't a lack of level. A player who has no level will not be sought by the big Premier League and other big clubs that were interested in me with very high offers. But I wanted to be here.

"Since I was a kid I followed Barca, I always watched them play, I remember Ronaldinho, Neymar, the history, the titles, the atmosphere, the fans. I always wanted to be here and write my name in the club's history. I had visited the city and the stadium before and it was my wish," he concluded.