
Raphinha has publicly criticized a journalist for spreading false reports about his potential exit from Barcelona. He emphasized that the journalist 'does nothing but lie' amid ongoing speculation about a move to Saudi Arabia.
Mentioned in this story
Raphinha calls out journalist over Barcelona exit talk – ‘Does nothing but lie’
Barcelona forward Raphinha has called out a journalist over their reporting, saying that they are frequently publishing lies about his future. The Brazilian forward has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, with the Catalan club supposedly willing to consider offers for him.
It is becoming increasingly trendy for Barcelona players to respond to false reports in the media, following Frenkie de Jong’s recent comments. Over the last three summers, it has been said that Raphinha would consider a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, since he admitted that he was contemplating leaving the Catalan giants, but his partner recently poured scorn on the idea.
In a more general response to talk about a potential exit this summer, Raphinha called out the one particular report on his exit.
“Since I arrived at Barcelona, from day one there has been speculation about my leaving the club. I think people don’t like seeing me here. Especially the press… there’s one who does nothing but lie,” he told ESPN, as quoted by MD.
Raphinha accused the journalist of lying about his future and stated that they frequently publish false information.
While Raphinha has been linked to a move to Saudi Arabia, he has also expressed doubts about leaving Barcelona, especially after his partner dismissed the rumors.
Other Barcelona players, like Frenkie de Jong, have also responded to false media reports, indicating a trend among the team to address misinformation.


Bayern Munich has started discussions with Newcastle about signing Anthony Gordon this summer.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
“The journalist who wrote that has also written other things about me that were lies, saying that I met with the club, that I spoke internally about my indecision, that I didn’t know if I would continue or not… that guy just lies, every time he publishes some news that he has to omit, it’s always or almost always very irrelevant things that come out of his mouth.”
Raphinha returned to the squad last week against Osasuna, but has been out of action since the March international break due to a hamstring tear. He will be keen to return to the pitch against Real Madrid on Sunday in El Clasico, when Barcelona will try to wrap up the La Liga title. It remains to be seen how much game time Hansi Flick will grant him.