Marc Bernal held up Raphinha as a defining presence in Barcelona’s dressing room after the Brazilian’s double against Rayo Vallecano, with the young midfielder telling EFE that Raphinha helps the squad’s younger players and is treated with respect by the rest of the group. The remarks, given to DAZN and relayed by EFE on 31 August, followed a performance that took Raphinha to five goals from Barcelona’s first three LaLiga matches, continuing the decisive early-season form detailed in Football España’s coverage of Barcelona’s latest victory.
The win kept Barcelona with a perfect nine points from three league games, and Bernal was quick to spread the credit around rather than focus solely on Raphinha. He also singled out Lamine Yamal, who scored his own double and had gone several matches without finding the net before Sunday’s game, saying the teenager had already shown the quality he possesses and that the squad was pleased to see him back on the scoresheet.
Raphinha as the dressing-room reference
Bernal’s framing of Raphinha as someone who is very close to the group and widely respected fits with recent reporting on the Brazilian’s standing at the club. Football España has previously covered Raphinha’s role as an interim captain, and separate reporting on Barcelona’s captaincy hierarchy has tracked his growing influence in the leadership group. Bernal’s comments add a first-hand, dressing-room perspective to that picture, coming directly from one of the younger players who says he benefits from Raphinha’s presence.
Bernal on competition with Rodri
Asked about the arrival of Rodri, who operates in the same defensive-midfield role Bernal occupies, the Berga-born player did not treat the situation as a threat. He described the competition for that position as good and, above all, healthy, a response consistent with a squad currently topping LaLiga’s early standings without internal friction over places.
Bernal closed his comments by urging the squad to keep working, train every day, and try to meet all of the team’s objectives this season. It is a standard line for a player early in a title-winning campaign, but paired with his praise for Raphinha and Yamal, it points to a dressing room where senior figures are actively shaping how the club’s academy graduates settle into first-team demands.
What the numbers say so far
Nine points from three matches and five goals from Raphinha alone are the concrete markers of Barcelona’s start to the season, and both featured directly in Bernal’s assessment. Nothing in his comments extended beyond the match itself or the immediate squad dynamics, but the emphasis on Raphinha’s role with younger players is a detail worth tracking as the league season progresses.