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What religion is Raphinha?
Raphinha is a professional footballer from Brazil who is a devout Christian. Raphinha is known for a distinctive religious gesture, walking the full length of the pitch on his knees as an act of gratitude and prayer to God when his prayers are answered. He first did this prominently after Leeds United avoided relegation in 2022 and repeated it after Barcelona’s La Liga triumphs. This is a traditional South American Christian practice of humility and thanksgiving.
Raphinha is best known for playing as a central winger or forward for the La Liga club Barcelona. He has also played for the Brazilian national team, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa América. After helping Barcelona secure trophies and finishing fifth in the Ballon d’Or voting, he was named to Brazil’s final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Salary & Contract
Raphinha signed for Barcelona from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 on a contract running through 2027. The deal was worth £55 million with a €1 billion release clause. His salary at the time of joining was reported to be roughly double what he had earned at Leeds.
After the 2024-25 season, where he scored 34 goals and provided 22 assists in 57 appearances in all competitions, Barcelona rewarded him with a three-year contract signed in May 2025, extending until 2028. The base salary on that deal is said to be about €16.7 million a year, or roughly €320,000 a week, with a further €5 million a year in potential bonuses, bringing the total value of the contract to €65.1 million over three years.
Early life
Raphinha was born as Raphael Dias Belloli in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on December 14, 1996. His family was poor, and sometimes they all lived in one room with his parents, younger brother, and pets. His father, Maninho Belloli, was a musician of Italian descent, and his mother is Brazilian.
As a boy, Raphinha had unsuccessful trials with Brazilian clubs Internacional and Grêmio before beginning his youth football with local side Imbituba. He eventually joined Avaí’s youth academy in 2014 and later made his senior debut for the club at the age of 19.
Club career
Raphinha joined Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães in February 2016, making his debut for the club that March and scoring his first senior goal that August. He spent his first season splitting time between the reserve and first teams before establishing himself as a regular starter. He scored 18 goals during 43 games in all competitions during the 2017–18 Primeira Liga season, where he later won the club’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award.
The following year, he moved to Sporting CP, where he played alongside Bruno Fernandes and won the domestic double of the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga in the 2018-19 season.
From Sporting CP, Raphinha then signed for French club Rennes in September 2019 for a club-record fee of €21 million. In his single Ligue 1 season, he recorded eight goals and seven assists to help Rennes finish third and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
Leeds United
Raphinha signed for Leeds United in October 2020 for a reported fee of £17 million and went on to make 67 appearances and score 17 goals, including a penalty in a 2-1 win at Brentford on the final day of the 2021-22 season that secured Leeds’ Premier League survival.
Barcelona
In the summer of 2022, Barcelona completed the signing of Raphinha from Leeds for an upfront fee of €58 million. After a mixed first two seasons at the club, he had a breakout 2024-25 campaign under manager Hansi Flick, becoming central to Barcelona’s domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.
Raphinha finished that season as the joint-top scorer of the UEFA Champions League with 13 goals and later finished fifth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting. By 2026, his honors with the club included three La Liga titles, three Spanish Super Cups, and the Copa del Rey.
International career
Raphinha made his senior debut for Brazil in October 2021 against Venezuela and was part of Brazil’s squads at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 2024 Copa América, and 2026 World Cup.
Raphinha became the first Barcelona player to secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Brazil beat Paraguay 1-0 in South American qualifying. Subsequently, Raphinha suffered a right hamstring injury during the first half of Brazil’s 3–0 group-stage win over Haiti, which forced him off the pitch in the 40th minute. Brazil went on to top Group C and defeated Japan in the round of 32 but suffered a 2–1 elimination in the round of 16 against Norway following two late goals from Erling Haaland.
Personal life
In 2022, Raphinha married Brazilian digital creator Natalia Rodrigues Belloli. Together, the couple welcomed their first child in May 2023.
Away from football, the couple have also been involved in charitable work in Brazil, including organizing initiatives that provide food, gifts, and essential supplies to families and vulnerable children.