The Brazilian left-footed winger has until recently struggled to justify the £60m the Blaugrana spent on him. He seemed sidelined, and management had warned him to be ready to concede in order to ...indirectly fund some of the money that had been given to him. But after various (several) discussions with the club's new coach, Flick, things changed. And they obviously changed because he himself realized that he needs to improve some of his issues in the competitive part of his game. That's how it happened. The pitch now presents a reborn Rafinha who shows the best version of himself.

Eleven appearances, 6 goals, 6 assists. That alone would have been enough to underline his importance at Barcelona this year, but Rafinha didn't become... by accident so pivotal. Flick had to unlock the "fantastic footballer" he "knew and admired before taking over at Barcelona".

Raphinha has played as a right winger for most of his career so far, although he is left-footed, but the existence of the young Lamine Yamal did not leave him much room to remain there. Something that Flick understood immediately and gave Rafinha the opportunity to play on the left as well as behind the Pole, Robert Lewandowski.

Last year Raphinha operated stuck to the line and this year he plays in much more central parts of the pitch. On "papers" he starts as a left winger or even as a ten, but it is important that Flick, especially with Olmos knocked out, has given him freedom and uses him in central areas. And that freedom of movement has given... wings to Rafinha, who, to put it simply, is currently one of the best footballers at least in La Liga, if not at the top European level.

At the moment, no footballer in La Liga (without penalties of course) has a better performance than Rafinha. In other words, no one is at the same time as threatening and as creative as him. No other attacking midfielder has more classic chances , no one else in general in La Liga has created more chances for his teammates (36) so far. In this new role Raphinha is core to Barcelona's attacking function.

And while that would be enough to make him valuable, the Brazilian doesn't... rest and is a very important cog in his team's defensive behavior as well. Barcelona have one of the best pressure indicators (PPDA) in the league, the intensity, the counterpressing, the furious pressure to immediately regain possession is something that Flick wanted to instill in his team from the first moment and he has succeeded brilliantly. In this, Rafinha and his profile have helped him significantly, as the German invested a lot in the Brazilian's athleticism and "anointed" him as a pressing leader.

Raphinha starts on the wings but is the first player (along with Yamal of course) to press the opposing stoppers. A function in which he excels again and again thanks to his intensity and physical condition. So far, only Pedri has more possession recoveries than him (35) and at the same time he has an awesome success rate in his defensive duels (76.9%).

Masia's boys are rapidly integrating into the first team, Lewandowski is defying his age and scoring in bursts, Yamal is already one of the best players on the planet, Hansi Flick's new Barcelona are galloping into the new season with imposing freshness and momentum. But no one could personify this transformation more emphatically than Raphinha.

So the exit door, to the armband and a leading role with an extension and significant influence in every aspect of Barcelona's game. The new, reborn Rafinha is doing everything for his team and is re-emerging in the elite….