Hansi Flick Praises Raphinha's Intensity in Spanish Super Cup Win

JAKARTA - Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised Raphinha's mentality after the Brazilian player haunted Real Madrid again with two goals in a 3-2 victory in the Spanish Super Cup (Supercopa de Espana) final in Saudi Arabia on Monday, January 12, 2026, early morning WIB.

Raphinha opened and closed the scoring, with Robert Lewandowski adding one goal, for Barcelona, who won their fourth trophy under Flick. While Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia scored for Real Madrid.

Interestingly, the extra goal made Raphinha - a former Leeds United striker - have scored seven goals in his last six El Clasico matches and provided three assists.

"His mentality is incredible. He has a dynamic that affects the whole team. You can see him miss the first chance he had in the game."

"But for the second chance, he was there, he scored the first goal and gave the team more confidence."

"This is what he brings. Rapha on the pitch has a high intensity and we need him," Flick said of Raphinha, who also scored twice in the semi-final win over Athletic Club.

Raphinha has now scored eight goals in 10 appearances since returning from injury in late November 2025.

His return also coincided with Barcelona's best performance of the season. With the victory against Real Madrid, the leader of the LaLiga standings has now won 10 consecutive matches in all competitions.

Raphinha also praised Flick, who is considered to have contributed greatly to improving his performance since the German coach joined 18 months ago.

"Flick is the person who changed everything for me here. I was almost leaving the club when he was appointed. It was important that he spoke to me, told me that I would be important."

"That's what you need, someone who appreciates your work. He gave me what I needed at the time, which allowed me to focus on working hard and giving my best for the team," said Raphinha.

Barcelona have won three consecutive finals against Real Madrid for the first time - two Spanish Super Cups and one Copa del Rey. Including last season's LaLiga title, the Blaugrana have claimed the last four trophies available in Spanish football.

Nevertheless, Raphinha insists the team still has the desire to win more trophies, with LaLiga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey still up for grabs.

"When you wear this shirt, the main objective is always to win trophies. We did well. We have a lot of young players who have a champion mentality, which is good for the club."

"We want to fight and win trophies. We can improve on last year's performance. The team has matured. We can continue (build) what we did last season."

"It depends more on us than the others. We have to stay focused. We know what we want," said Raphinha.