Raphinha doesn't watch TV or social media and tries to shield young people from the national team
Although he is 29 years old, Raphinha is one of the most experienced among the 26 athletes in the Brazilian team who will begin the World Cup competition in North America next Saturday against Morocco. His job is also, according to the Porto Alegre gaucho, to help shield younger people from criticism.
The Barcelona star says he doesn't watch or read what is said about him and his teammates in the press and on social media and expects the young players in the group to do the same.
"I follow zero news. I have people who take care of social media. I don't watch television. But we can't be hypocrites. We know that young people are very connected to social media. There's no way around it. Because the news ends up falling into their laps," he said.
"The older, more experienced people try to get them to use social media less. Even so as not to create expectations or get frustrated by what is said. We try to shield what comes from outside", he added.
The Barcelona player's assessment is that there is a certain distrust and little optimism among fans regarding the team in the World Cup due to Brazil's 24-year drought without world titles.
"There were so many years of frustration, because we had teams that could win and didn't. And people don't want to get frustrated again. But deep down, everyone is rooting for the team and that will be very important for us."
The attacker responded with clarity and some good humor to the 19 responses from journalists at the press conference this Wednesday, the 10th, at the hotel where the athletes are staying in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
He said that he - and all the other 25 - have to be prepared to withstand pressure, acknowledged that he has already produced more for Barcelona than for the Brazilian team and stated that he is ready to play in any of the attacking positions.
"We have to understand the greatness of wearing the national team's shirt", said the striker, called up 43 times by the national team and scoring 11 goals in 39 games. He is on the verge of competing in his second World Cup - the first was in Qatar, an edition in which he was neither a starter nor one of the protagonists.
"We have to know the responsibility of each one individually. We have several very experienced players. Even Vini, who is not that old, but has a lot of experience in football and can bring us the hexa. And I include myself in that. We can solve a World Cup. The fact that we understand our moment in our career and our weight is important for us to solve the games."
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Source: CNN