Rafinha Diaz He has made no secret of his public dissatisfaction with not being included in FIFA 2025’s best eleven for several weeks now, but speaking well about yourself is always subject to negative interpretations, even if they are true. Therefore, his coach at Barça hansi flickwill change his old general discourse on ego and, in the case of the Brazilian national team player, emphasize the value of the individual as an act of football justice, and above all in the eyes of the world. “It’s a joke that he’s not in the best 11 all year. His influence on the team, his goals, his games, his assists were incredible,” insisted Flick on the eve of Villarreal’s game against Barça.

This realization was yet another proof that a good coach is not one who conveys the same message to everyone, but one who gives a speech that is appropriate for each situation and each football player. The stripes that Flick wanted Rafinha to show were on full display 24 hours later at La Ceramica.

From the moment Rafinha gave a motivational talk to his team-mates in the pre-match huddle in the league’s top flight, despite not wearing Barça’s captain’s armband, to the start of the match, when the Brazilian immediately pointed out the importance of points to complete the winter championship, challenging with cuts and forcing penalties. Santi Comesaña He himself converted it to 0-1 with confidence that his statistics from early in his career supported it. Of the 15 goals he has scored in his career, 14 have come with four of them as a player. And that torpedo, by sheer miracle, reached a team that was not on a 0-2 score. OPTA statistics on Sunday confirmed Rafinha’s dominance in soccer. He had four shots, two chances created, six crosses into the area, 28 completed passes in the final third of the field and a total of 73 interventions during the match.

There are others, but Rafinha is probably the player who has improved the most with Flick on the bench. This is evidenced by what the manager described as an “incredible” season on Saturday: 34 goals and 26 assists in 57 games in 2024-25. In the 2025-26 season, which included injuries, he had seven points and three points in 14 games. Both soccer players and coaches believe that the best is yet to come.

Raúl Asensio chose the obvious location of Las Palmas to send his millimeter message. The locker room is in line with the coaches.. After receiving the award from the Las Palmas Interisland Football Federation Foundation, the Gran Canaria central defender painted a picture of normalcy in a competition centered around Xabi Alonso. Positive numbers for the group and clubwith a clear desire that his stage performance “continue for a long time.”

There was no attempt to defend the company or dramatize the situation. Asensio believed that criticism was systemic, routine and sometimes disproportionate at Real Madrid. “They are now criticize on a daily basis” he began, downplaying the noise outside and shifting his focus to the single valid thermometer of what was going on inside the locker room. He emphasized that the coach’s message was “very good and very correct.”

Apply the same prism to the following situation: Vinicius JuniorIt is one of the most discussed names on the stands and in public forums. The advice was direct and unnuanced. keep doing what you’re doing. For Asensio, there are no tactical or emotional dilemmas to resolve when it comes to teammates who remain competitive every day with “one of the best players in the world.”

beep sound. The Gran Canario demonstrations also reached more personal territory. Their presence is accompanied by a whistle in some stadiums. He interpreted them not as conflicts but as part of the job.. He defined himself as “strong-willed” and explained that this situation, far from affecting him, acts as a stimulus. In clubs with permanent exhibitions, managing emotions becomes another competition.

From a strictly sporting point of view, the absence of Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves Asensio Right-back, a position he is still training inand. The correspondence was again functional. A complete willingness to help and adapt to any scenario. He insists he has complete confidence in his coach, even joking that he would put on the gloves if necessary.

At the event in the Canary Islands, we were also able to learn about the roots of soccer. Asensio didn’t hide it UD Las Palmas remains the team in his heartThis season, he has been observing from afar, paying particular attention to the work of his coach, Luis García, with whom he happened to be at Real Madrid C.

Regarding the Asturian player, he emphasized both his professional ability as a “top coach” and his talent. The human dimension, illustrated by the gestures of Elias Herreroa young amateur who recently received a bone marrow transplant. In his opinion, this detail explains the type of person he is better than any other outcome.

about him The final balance in 2025 was modest.. Asensio called it “very good,” not because there were no challenges, but because he overcame them in his very first year at Elite. adaptation, Promoting and demanding learning in clubs that do not recognize truces. Without exaggeration or complacency, the central defender brought out a clear idea. Real Madrid are not known for their stability. it works.