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Raphinha admits he ‘thought about’ leaving Barcelona

Raphinha admitted that he “thought about” leaving Barcelona amid a “complicated” period before he was linked to Manchester United & Al-Nassr.

Raphinha’s resurgence has been significant under Hansi Flick and the Brazilian is finally living up to the form that convinced Barcelona to pay a hefty £55m ($72m), with add-ons, to secure his services from Leeds United in 2022. He was in sensational form against Real Valladolid as he led the charge with three goals and two assists to inspire Barcelona to a 7-0 triumph in La Liga.

However, Raphinha’s journey in Spain has not been without its difficulties. He often struggled to find his rhythm in attack and had been pretty inconsistent which had put his future at the club in jeopardy. And the winger admitted in a candid interview with RAC1 that there was a time when he seriously considered leaving the club.

“Did I consider leaving? Yes,” Raphinha confessed. “The first six months were complicated for me and my family. After the World Cup, I improved and managed to finish the season well, but at the beginning, it was very challenging.

“My adaptation to the club was difficult. I knew it was something that had to happen, but not that it would be so difficult on a personal level. This moved my head a little, I sometimes thought about leaving. Not at the end of the season, but in the first half of the season. Barça is a huge club and it is normal for it to be difficult. I wasn’t used to that, but it happened quickly.”

As one of Barcelona’s most valuable assets, Raphinha has often been the subject of transfer speculation, particularly when it comes to potential moves to the Premier League or lucrative offers from Saudi Arabian clubs like Al-Nassr. The Brazilian, however, has expressed his frustration with the constant rumours and again asserted his commitment to staying at Barcelona.

“It’s annoying to see rumours, it’s normal,” he said. “I’m not active on social media, but my wife and friends do see it. Every day there’s a different piece of news, whether I’m going here or there, and that ends up bothering you. The first six months were very hard. I learned that in every transfer window, my name will be there. My head has always been here. Every season I think about doing more than the previous one and showing that I’m capable of being here for many years.”

With Barcelona enjoying a strong start to the new season, Raphinha is already setting his sights on achieving big things with the club. The Brazilian winger is not shy about his ambitions, stating that the minimum objective for Barcelona should be to win the Champions League.

“The minimum objective is to win,” he said. When asked if he was talking about the Champions League, he replied: “Of course. It has to be this one. Playing for Barca makes the main objective to win all the titles: the League, the Champions League, the Cup, the Super Cup… If you are in a club like this and you don’t set yourself that objective, you are in the wrong place.”

Raphinha will look to replicate his scorching form with the Brazilian national team when the Selecao will take on Ecuador and Paraguay in the next set of World Cup qualifiers during the upcoming international break. Bazil are sixth in the CONMEBOL standings and are in desperate need of some individual inspiration to climb up the table. After completing his international commitments, he will return to action with Barcelona on September 15 against Girona.

Goal

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Southwest Zonal Eliminations: Lagos Records Big Wins In Handball, Hockey, Football, Basketball

Lagos handball teams delivered impressive wins against Oyo State on day one of the South-West Zonal Eliminations of the National Sports Festival, holding in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The men’s team eased to a commanding 40-14 victory before the women’s team secured 23-15 victory at the handball court of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Akanran.

In Basketball, Lagos women’s team defeated Ondo 47-39 after a show of resilience, commitment and determination in their first match. Their second match is against Oyo State on Wednesday (today).

Lagos hockey team also recorded wins in their games. The women’s team thrashed Oyo 3-0, while the men’s team lone goal was enough to secure three points against Ekiti.

In beach volleyball, Lagos proved the level of their performance and conveniently dispatched Oyo 2-0. In football, Lagos female team defeated Oyo 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Bada Mistura in a game played inside the main bowl of the Liberty Stadium. The male team were later forced to a 1-1 draw against Ekiti

Speaking on the first day of the South-West Zonal Elimination Ball Games, the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu noted that the athletes have demonstrated exceptional capacity and dominance over their opponents.

“So, I think it’s a good one for Lagos state.It is the first day of the zonal elimination qualifiers. With what we have experienced today in terms of the outcomes from the different Games. We are very optimistic and positive that at the end of the day we’re going to come victorious overall.”

Fatodu added that the performance of the state athletes in their different games has been thrilling and exciting, especially with the presence of personnel of the Lagos State Sports Commission, serving as a morale booster and source of encouragement to keep soaring high.

“With what is playing out, it’s going to yield a positive results. From what we have gathered today, they are particularly appreciative and they have confide that our presence means so much to them in terms of their mental positivity, approach towards the Games and in terms of their attitude on the field of play. It is expected that it will yield positive results for us”, Fatodu submitted.

The Director General further reiterated that, “We are not in any way in doubt that our athletes will show very, very well. Because of the fact that all the necessary things that they need to do well have been provided by Mr.Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. We need to thank Mr. Governor for his commitment and always supporting sports in terms of logistics, welfare, transportation, feeding, and security. Everything is top-notch”.

Team Lagos will continue to bank on the records of dominance at the South-West as the qualifiers inch towards its conclusion, with the chance to secure slots for all ball games at the 22nd National Sports Festival – the ‘Gateway Games’ billed for Abeokuta, Ogun State in May.

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Elo Akose, NDSF logo designer celebrates his emergence

Elo Akose, the winner of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) logo design competition, has expressed delight to see his work gaining national traction through extensive media campaign as preparations for the festival heightens.

Akose, who received a reward of N250,000 prize money, commended the organisers of the contest for providing a platform for youths to showcase their artistic talents in design.

Akose’s entry emerged the best from over 300 others that were submitted to a panel of judges set up by the project consultants, Dunamis Icon, weeks ago. The design has since been officially put to use.

“I counted myself lucky to have had my entry selected from the over 300 submitted by other contestants and would like to thank the organisers of the Niger Delta Sports Festival for the opportunity given to all of us, the contestants to be part of this project,” Akose told NDSF Media.

Akose works with Smax Digital Prints and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education (Economics) from the Delta State University.

The NDSF, the first intervention of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as part of its 25th anniversary, will hold in Akwa Ibom State from April 1 to 9. Over 3,000 athletes are expected to participate in 17 sports.