Barcelona attacker Raphinha has admitted that "a lot of self doubt" has previously led to him considering an exit from Camp Nou.
Earlier this week, the Brazil international scored a hat-trick as the Catalan giants thrashed Bayern Munich by a 4-1 scoreline in the Champions League.
That has taken the 27-year-old to nine goals and six assists in La Liga and Europe during 2024-25, one of the best returns on the continent.
Despite that impressive haul, though, there has not always been a wave of positivity surrounding the former Leeds United star who cost £50m back in 2022.
There have been times when the club's board were prepared to cash in on his signature in order to ensure that all of La Liga's and UEFA's financial regulations were met.
Raphinha had 13 goals and 16 assists to his name from his first two La Liga campaigns, yet that was not enough to justify his price tag or win over a large majority of the club's support.
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'It crossed my mind to leave'
While he has since progressed into one of the most important players at the club and wore the captain's armband on Wednesday night, Raphinha has revealed that he has not always felt comfortable at Barcelona.
Speaking to ESPN about the amount of times he has considered a departure, he said: "Man, there were several moments, not just one. My first six months here, the period from the summer transfer window until the World Cup, was a season in which I didn't have the best of starts, so it crossed my mind to leave the club.
"There was a lot of self doubt. I have a nasty habit of criticising myself heavily, so to speak, so that pressure made me think about leaving.
"Then, obviously, after the World Cup I had a huge turnaround, managing to put up great numbers in six months.
"Last season, after the injuries I had, the sending off [in the first game versus Getafe], and also at the end of the season, seeing a lot of things that the club wanted to sell me, that the fans wanted me to leave, it also ends up crossing your mind to leave, to go somewhere where there's no pressure."
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Raphinha's future now at Barcelona?
Raphinha has never made any secret of the fact that Barcelona is his dream club, subsequently leading to him rejecting the advances of Arsenal and Chelsea two years ago.
There had previously been a limited chance of a contract renewal due to the stance that club officials would happily sell the big-money addition for the right price.
However, even with just over two-and-a-half years left on his contract, that now seems unlikely with Raphinha contributing with 29 goals and 33 assists from his 100 appearances in a Barcelona shirt.
On Saturday evening, Raphinha will be looking to help Barcelona move six points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga standings when they meet in the first EL Clasico of the season at the Bernabeu.
Darren Plant
