Raphinha opens up on his tough upbringing in Brazil and how he lost friends to drug trafficking

Barcelona star Raphinha has been candid about his difficult childhood, revealing how he asked people on the streets for money to eat while several of his friends became involved in crime and drug trafficking.

The 25-year-old from Porto Alegre in Brazil moved to Barcelona this summer for a fee of £56 million.

He was previously a fan favorite in Leeds and several clubs sought to court the Brazilian before moving to the Nou Camp.

Raphinha also won nine caps for Brazil, scored three times, and is expected to be part of their squad for the World Cup this winter.

However, the Brazil international has been candid about his upbringing and has revealed the obstacles he had to overcome to reach the top of the game.

“I have to tell you the truth: it’s very complicated,” he said UOL Esporte via Marca. “For someone who was born in a neighborhood like me, it’s hard to stay focused.

‘I come from Restinga (a neighborhood in Porto Alegre). It’s hard to follow your path and not stray. Opportunities arise, and there are many.

“They promise an easier way to make money. And that’s where people get lost. I never swerved, but I witnessed, I walked next to people who got lost.

“I’ve lost a lot of friends in the world of crime, in the drug trade… Friends who played ten times better than me and who could have been in a major football club in the world.”

Raphinha explained how he could avoid this distraction to fulfill his dream of becoming a footballer.

He said: ‘Having these examples close by was an important factor in keeping my focus. I knew from a very young age what I wanted to be a footballer.

Achieving this goal by leaving a neighborhood is a major sacrifice. But my ambition was even greater. I have not deviated. Today, when they talk about my ‘magic’ in football, I say… this is the real magic.

“Thanks to my family, I never dropped out of school and ignored the opportunities I was given to go down the wrong path. Because of them I’m here.’

Raphinha also revealed some of the struggles he faced as a child, including simply having enough to eat.

The Barcelona winger explained: “It would be unfair to say that I have been hungry in my life because my parents were never short of food at home.

“Yet after training, I was standing on the street and asking people to buy me something to eat or a snack. Some people helped me, others bluntly called me a bum.

‘And there was nothing to do, it was just waiting for the bus to come home so I could have something to eat. I was then between 12 and 14 years old’

This summer Raphinha has been interesting for several clubs, including Chelsea and Arsenal, but he remained determined to move to Barcelona despite the much publicized financial troubles of the Catalan giants.

And the Brazilian has explained why he was so desperate to join the club.

He said: ‘Ronaldinho is one of my idols and he wore the Barcelona shirt. I couldn’t talk to him before I came here but I’m sure he would tell me to follow my dream

“I got a lot of offers after my time at Leeds, but I knew exactly what I wanted. My childhood idols played for Barcelona so I had a dream to come here and I spared no expense to make it a reality.”