Europe finally surrenders Rafinha After the performance of the Brazilian players in the Super Cup final vs. real madrid. Admiration for the Barça star went beyond fan opinion and reached the Old Continent’s most prestigious media outlets. By that time, newspapers and L’Equipe or Tuttosport They talked about “recitals” and “sparkles of light.” Rafinha blinded madridSome of the praise, no doubt, only puts him in an advantageous position in the race to win the Ballon d’Or, which turned against him in the last edition. Rafinha He had a face in the soccer world and was about the same weight as me, but he came in 5th place. hansi flick Either Diego Simeone They argued that he should have been the winner.

L’Equipe and Ballon d’Or: “Recital” attracting attention

In France, L’Equipe, the country’s media and sports magazine that promotes the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or, directly defined the Brazilian’s performance as an “artist’s recital.” The media highlighted the Barça winger’s double and his overall influence in the final, which Barcelona dominated. balsahighlighting their ability to make a difference on the nights when demand is greatest.

As well as its results, L’Équipe’s emphasis is on its context. recently, Rafinha They are left out of the larger discussion about individual awards. However, the fact that the media itself highlights his performance as a “recital” puts him at the center of success in the race to win the Ballon d’Or. This recognition strengthens his profile in European football’s most demanding show.

The French newspaper also highlighted the footballer’s development within the project and collected some revealing words from the man himself. Rafinha On his continuity and role in the team under the manager. hansi flicka link that explains much of the current prominence.

Tuttosport: Italy confirms great protagonist for the final

The Italian press moved in the same direction. Tuttosport began its analysis with the powerful phrase, “La Luce Rafinha is Real!” For the Turin newspapers, the Brazilian “light” was blinding. real madrid He also decided to play in the Super Cup with Barça.

Italy emphasized that Rafinha A footballer who is decisive and appears in a larger context, such as a final, a classic, or a match that decides the title. A competitive profile explaining why Europe agrees with this diagnosis, from different countries and football sensibilities.

He has 13 points this season, 7 points in 12 games vs. real madrid, Rafinha It has influenced sustained performance and key moments. While they don’t always appear in individual awards showcases, they’re increasingly gaining support from people who mark their stories. France is hinting at it through the prism of the Ballon d’Or. Italy confirmed this from their analysis of the match. Meanwhile, Europe is also paying attention.

what happened there yesterday Leganes-Valladolid The second-division match ended in a 3-0 victory on home soil, but required intervention three times. VAR. Two of them also included Jose Antonio López Toca in the VOR room, called by Manuel Jesús Orellana Cid for two consecutive penalties immediately after the start of the game.

The first incident occurred five minutes into the match, following a handball by Iván Alejo in the area that was not initially seen by the referee. That’s when he received a notification from VAR. “Manuel, would you recommend a review so that we can assess the possibility of a penalty for handball?” When he got to the monitor, he said, “Okay, it looked perfect. Make it dynamic, Jose, I already saw him shake hands.” From the VOR, they provided him with another camera “also from behind the goal.” Once there was no doubt in the vision, he said, “OK, perfect, we’re going to restart with a penalty, OK, Jose.”

The penalty was taken by Juan Cruz, but it was cleared by Valladolid goalkeeper Guilherme. However, as the Leganés striker attempted to grab the rebound, he was tackled from behind by Jaouab and was brought down, receiving another warning from the VOR. “Manuel recommends a review so we can assess the possibility of a penalty. Please let us know when you get to the screen.”

In the background, a voice can be heard shouting “Out, Mr. Out” as the referee reaches the monitor. And he stood in front of it and he said, “Okay, Jose, it’s on the screen. One second, one second. Okay, I want to see the number of the guy who’s doing that…Okay, yes, it’s very clear.” And he claimed, “I want to know this player’s number, because it’s yellow, so who’s going to penalize it?” From VAR they confirm, “Yes, we understand, number 23.” To which the referee replied: “Okay, number 23, perfect. We’ll restart with a penalty and a yellow card, understand Jose?”

VOR is wrong about Guilherme

And the final intervention occurred in the 89th minute of the match as a result of Valladolid goalkeeper Guilherme leaving the area in an attempt to put Naim ahead. The referee directly punished him with a red card, but because they understood that it was not a sending off, again from the VOR: “Manu, we recommend that you reconsider so that we can assess the cancellation of the red card, okay?” Arriving in front of the monitor, López Toca requests to be shown the moment from VAR, López Toca explains from VAR. “Okay, look, I thought the reason I called you was because the goalie touched the ball. Okay, first of all, the impact is the lower back. You evaluate that and make the decision that you think is appropriate.”

The referee replied, “Okay, let’s see. I know how he touches the ball. I’d like to see how he moves.” They don’t let go of the ball, so the referee asks, “I want to see the touch of the ball, see how it moves when it touches the ball, etc.”

They then provided him with the images, but he requested that the camera be brought closer to him. “Let’s look a little further back, Jose, a little more back.” And then he understood: “All right, he touched the ball. All right, again, all right. All right, Jose, what I saw was that he obviously touched the ball. It’s true that the contact came later. I’ve never played rough. It’s not even a foul for me. All right, I’ll pick up where I dropped the ball. All right, because to me it’s not even a foul. All right, Jose.”

Levante midfielder Iker Lozada He has scored twice in his last two games against Sevilla and Espanyol, the same number of goals he has scored in his previous 29 games in just seven days. first division. Losada scored spanish He won 1-1 in Sunday’s final, giving his team one point, and had already beaten the score 0-1 the day before. seville Levante’s 0-3 win in Pizjuan.

These two games were the first games for the coach. Luis Castro It was also Lozada’s first start of the season on the Levante bench. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder is Levant given by him real betis He appeared in August last year, but along with Julián Calero he only featured in five games in the first half of the league season, up until the Christmas break.

it’s the first time Losada He had only scored two goals in the first division so far, so it was the second day in a row that he scored. The first is the top category Premier, Celts of Vigo A light blue youth player, Lozada made a total of 31 appearances in the first division during spells at Celta, Real Betis and Levante.

He left Betic’s team in the summer of 2024 for around €2 million after winning the league in the 2023-24 season. ferol racinghad 9 goals and 7 assists. Number 2. He is currently enjoying his best moment in the highest category of Spanish football.