Barcelona have quickly become accustomed to seeing Raphinha at the heart of their attacking play.
The Brazilian has grown into one of the most influential figures in Hansi Flick’s squad, while his importance has increased further since taking on the captaincy.
His recent form has also made him a player Barcelona will be desperate to keep on the pitch, particularly with another demanding stretch of the season approaching.
That made his involvement for Brazil against Australia one of the biggest talking points for supporters watching from Catalonia.
Raphinha had started the friendly and continued his excellent scoring run by converting from the penalty spot shortly before half-time.
But when Brazil returned for the second half, the Barcelona captain was missing after being replaced by Endrick because of discomfort in his right thigh.
Raphinha provides latest injury update
Asked by a reporter as he left the stadium whether his thighs were okay, Raphinha simply replied, “Alright.”
The brief response offered some immediate encouragement to Barcelona supporters, particularly given the winger’s importance to Flick’s plans and his recent history of muscular problems.
Brazil initially described the issue as muscle discomfort, while Carlo Ancelotti did not provide a definitive assessment immediately after the 4-2 victory.
However, the situation later became clearer after the Brazilian Football Confederation carried out imaging on the player.
The CBF confirmed that Raphinha had suffered a small muscular oedema in the posterior area of his right thigh and released him from the squad as a precaution.
He will now return to Barcelona to begin his recovery, with the club expected to assess the injury further before determining when he can return to full training.
For Barca, the timing will be particularly important given how central Raphinha has become to the team’s attacking structure and leadership group.
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