Barcelona's International Break Anxiety: Raphinha's Risks

Hansi Flick feels it every time the airport doors slide shut and his squad disappears into the distance: anxiety.

“I feel anxious when the players leave, but I trust the national team coaches and I try to stay positive,” the Barcelona boss admitted days before this international break. Now the reality of that fear is here. Seventeen first-teamers have scattered across the globe. The club’s season, still in its early rhythm, is suddenly in the hands of others.

A squad emptied by the break

The number was supposed to be 18. Andreas Christensen would have joined Denmark, but a left thigh muscle problem has grounded him in Barcelona. One fewer flight, one fewer risk. It barely eases the tension.

The message from the club is clear: no panic, but plenty of nerves. The medical staff consider the group in excellent shape, yet they know how quickly that can change. Ninety minutes on heavy pitches, three games in a week, overnight flights, time zones, cramped legs. One wrong step.

Barcelona have seen it all before, especially with their South Americans. Raphinha, for one, has often returned from Brazil duty carrying more than just fatigue.

Seven players have linked up with Spain under Luis de la Fuente: Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Rodri, Pedri, Fermín, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal. In their clash with Croatia, they will come up against Dominik Livaković, another Barcelona player on international duty.

The conveyor belt doesn’t stop there. Xavi Espart and Marc Bernal step up with Spain’s under-21s, chasing a place at Euro 2027 through a three-game run against Finland, San Marino and Romania.

Raphinha at the heart of Barcelona’s fears

Then comes the list that really tightens jaws at the Ciutat Esportiva.

• Karim Adeyemi has been recalled by Germany for matches against Serbia and Greece.
• Raphinha flies with Brazil.
• João Cancelo joins Portugal.
• Anthony Gordon reports to England.
• Jules Koundé to France.
• Hamza Abdelkarim to Egypt.
• Yann Bisseck to Belgium’s under-21s.

Each name is a potential headache. One stands out.

Barcelona reserve their sharpest concern for Raphinha, the most in-form player in Flick’s squad: 14 goals in eight matches, a blistering start that has turned him into the team’s reference point in attack. He now faces a long-haul trip and a spell of rest and recovery on his return, if all goes well. Too often, it has not.

Raphinha, like Lamine, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, has a history of coming back from international duty injured. The pattern is impossible to ignore.

The most recent flashpoint came at the last World Cup, when he suffered pain in the tendons of his right knee. A few months earlier, in March, a friendly between Brazil and France in the United States had already exposed that same weak spot. He was injured, dropped from the squad and sent straight back to Barcelona. Five weeks out. Five weeks of reshuffling and improvisation.

Last season, a series of scattered injuries repeatedly disrupted his availability. Flick and the club can see what a fully fit Raphinha means to their game. That is why this break feels like a roll of the dice they would rather not throw.

Laporta pushes back at the calendar

For Joan Laporta, the issue goes beyond one player or one window.

Speaking at the club’s general assembly on Saturday, the Barcelona president did not hide his frustration with the timing and volume of these international breaks. He revealed his intention to open talks with international football bodies about the strain on elite squads.

“This break affects the rhythm of our preparations. It harms us greatly. We have to keep fighting and find the right balance. There are many competitions, the Conference League and the Nations League ... the schedule is extremely crowded,” Laporta said.

The concern is not limited to tackles and sprints. The club’s staff point to the hidden damage: long flights, poor sleep, the fatigue that lingers in muscles and joints. The kind of wear that doesn’t always show up on scans but can snap into a full-blown injury in a single moment.

Barcelona can only watch, count the minutes and hope the phone stays silent. When the break ends, Flick will know soon enough: did this fortnight simply interrupt their momentum, or did it change the shape of their season?