Raphinha took a trip to Disneyland Korea last week and, after keeping the relegation wolf from the door at Leeds United, it was a case of off one rollercoaster and onto another.
We’re into the close season but football never stops and where Raphinha is concerned, this summer promises to be quite a ride.
The Brazil squad were in South Korea to play a friendly — where they emerged as 5-1 victors — and Raphinha’s international ascent has been so steep that wherever Brazil go these days, he goes too. He is their overnight success story. He took his leave from Leeds a fortnight ago with no cast-iron guarantee that he would ever be back, his future hanging on developments in the transfer market.
Leeds have spent the best part of a year fielding questions about how long they can hope to retain the electric winger they signed from French club Rennes at the start of the 2020-21 season.
They encounter the same questions about Kalvin Phillips but there has long been a view that persuading the England midfielder to stay put at Elland Road, at least in the short term, will be easier than pinning Raphinha down.
As Leeds wrestled with relegation last season, only finally fighting it off on the campaign’s final day, the general feeling was that the 25-year-old would gravitate towards bigger things once the summer transfer window opened, moving to the level he is patently good enough to play at.
In that sense, Leeds staying up has changed very little.
They are sympathetic to Raphinha’s ambition and do not intend to be unfair or obstructive if their valuation is met. They no longer anticipate him accepting a new contract — something that appeared to be on the cards midway through the season — and although Raphinha has not directly asked for a transfer, it is no secret that he sees himself as a Champions League footballer. The names of the clubs being linked with him prove that others see him as a Champions League footballer too, and it already feels certain that a fit Raphinha will be in the Brazil squad for the World Cup this November and December.