It was at that time that Italy noticed Raphinha and found out that he was eligible to represent the Azzuri because his father, Rafael Dias Belloli, is of Italian descent. The Italian federation ...

Raphinha has revealed how he was close to pledging his international allegiance to Italy. The Barcelona winger is one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or after an exceptional season for the ...

Winning the Champions League often puts players in pole position to win the Ballon d’Or, and Ousmane Dembele, whose Paris ...

Barcelona winger Raphinha is one of the early contenders ... The 28-year-old would not have been the only Italy international with a Brazilian background, as Jorginho, Emerson Palmeiri and Rafael ...

Barcelona's Raphinha has now represented Brazil at two major tournaments, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2024 Copa America, and played many other qualifiers and friendlies with his home country.

This stroke of luck, as Raphinha saw it, would end up making him where he is today. The now-star of Barcelona, about five years ago, did not lose hope of playing with Brazil despite the siren songs ...

Barcelona star Raphinha admits he was close to committing his international future to Italy. Now arguably Brazil's most important player, Raphinha concedes things could've been very different.

Raphinha has revealed how he was close to pledging his international allegiance to Italy. The Barcelona winger is one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or after an exceptional season for the Spanish ...