Rafinha has left many beautiful moments in the memories of Leeds fans, such as the world wave against West Brom in the last game, the non-stop cannonball long-range shot at home against Everton last season, and the priceless penalty against Brentford at the end of the season...
He made a total of 65 premier league appearances for Leeds United, scoring 17 goals, including some spectacular goals. He has amazing skills, loves to wear crotches, loves to play fake moves, which will become a beautiful memory that Leeds fans will never forget.
In 2020, Rafinha moved from Rennes to Leeds, when the British audience didn't know much about him. In the past two years, his performances at the club and the Brazilian national team have exploded enough, and this summer he is one of the hottest stars in the European transfer market.
Before, Barca wanted him, Arsenal wanted him, Chelsea wanted him and Tottenham wanted him. In the end, it was Barca who signed him.
Leeds fans certainly don't want Rafinha to leave.
He was the catalyst for the atmosphere at the Elam Road Stadium. Over the past two seasons, he has scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in the league and is no one in the number of goals he has been directly involved in. Both Bielsa and Marsh used him as a thigh, and the opposing defenders saw him as a nightmare.
"Every time I watch him play, I think to myself, 'I don't want to play against him.' Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville said earlier this year. He was too threatening at any time. Carragher added.
The numbers don't lie, and Rafinha's influence on the offensive end is truly outrageous.
Since landing in the Premier League in October 2020, his statistics such as opportunities creation, success and shooting have also been among the best in Leeds.
Looking at the entire Premier League, his above 3 statistics are also ranked 6th (tied), and on the offensive threat, he is only slightly inferior to de Bruyne and Son Heung-min and others.
He basically plays as a right winger under BothArd and Marsh, which is also his position in the Brazilian national team. He has a variety of offensive means, and opponents can't touch him, which is one of his greatest strengths.
He excels at cutting inside with his left foot, his straight ball count is also very high in Leeds, he can also attack from the left, and his crosses rank first in Leeds.
Set-piece assists (including corners and free kicks) are also one of his weapons, and his long-range shooting skills are also quite good.
In total, he scored seven goals in the Premier League through long-range shots, accounting for 40% of his total goals. In the same time period, only Southampton's Ward Prouss scored more long-range shots than he did.
Rafinha was given a high degree of freedom in Leeds. Bielsa believes that "for this kind of player who loves to improvise, you just let him play." "But in the future, if he joins a team that pays more attention to possession, the coach may not let him play so casually."
Last season, Barca averaged 65 per cent of the ball and Leeds 52 per cent, and in the new season, Rafinha had to adapt to changes in the style of the ball.
Barca should also notice that Rafinha likes to send the ball into the opposition penalty area in a variety of ways (including short passes, crosses, dribbling, etc.).
According to Opta, Rafinha has sent the ball into the opponent's penalty area 468 times in the Premier League. In the same time period, he is 1st in the Premier League, with Son Heung-min (395 times) and Bowen (West Ham, 251 times) in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Rafinha does love to shoot from distance, but he's also very good at delivering the ball into the box.
He's also a good player on the defensive end.
Rafinha is talented and regards Xiao Luo as an idol, but he has excellent professionalism and hard work. In this regard, he is the quintessential modern striker.
Rafinha told Sky Sports last March:
"Now my task is not only to create opportunities on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end.
"I like to defend when I first play football, I always like it, I like to run forward with a force, and I like to fight back.
"To be able to attack, to be able to defend against, the players have to have that awareness, which is very important."
This characteristic of his is very right with Bielsa, and the coach mainly plays the staring system on the defensive end, which requires players to put pressure everywhere and keep running. The data shows Rafinha's diligence.
Rafinha came to the Premier League with fewer total steals than Jolington among the forwards of all teams (he played in midfield for most of last season), and the number of possessions or interceptions was the highest among the forwards.
In the final round of last season, he cut off Brentford goalkeeper Raya's pass, dribbled through the ball and caused Raya to foul, win a penalty and secure the penalty. It was the most important goal of his Leeds career.
From this attack, we can also see Rafinha's super physical fitness. According to the official statistics of the Premier League, he has completed more than 200 high-intensity sprints in the past two seasons, the most in the Premier League in the same time period.
Therefore, he moved to the Premier League for less than two seasons and won the favor of a number of European giants. Rafinha is not afraid of the big scenes, and Barca fans should cheer for his wonderful performance in the new season.