Raphinha has dropped a bombshell about a passport as he revealed he almost accepted an invitation from a European country over Brazil.
Raphinha has emerged as one of Brazil's main stars, having made his international debut in 2022.
He has since played 96 games for Brazil, scoring 29 goals.
But his international career could have panned out very differently had he accepted an invitation to join the Italian national team ahead of Euro 2020, which ultimately took place in 2021 following COVID-19.
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According to Raphinha himself, he was close to accepting Italy's invite for Euro 2020 after receiving an 'incredible' plan from then-manager Roberto Mancini.
However, he opted for Brazil after his Italian passport didn't arrive on time.
The 28-year-old qualified for Italy through his father, who is of Italian descent.
Speaking to Isabela Pagliari, he revealed “I was close to accepting the invitation from the Italian national team. I was supposed to go to Euro 2020, which they won. Basically, I was ready to go. Luckily, the passport didn’t arrive in time. At that moment, people from the Italian national team were calling me. Jorginho was calling me constantly."
Raphinha added: "The Italian coaching staff had an incredible plan for me, which really caught my attention, but at the same time, deep down, I still had a small hope of being able to wear the Brazil jersey.
"Fortunately, my Italian passport wasn't ready in time."
Without Raphinha, Italy fared very well at Euro 2020, winning the competition after beating England on penalties in the final.
Despite their success, the star winger would have been an excellent addition to the Italian national team considering his stunning form this season.
He's enjoying the best campaign of his career, having scored 31 goals in 52 games across all competitions.
His Italian admission comes on the eve of Barcelona's huge Champions League clash against Serie A side Inter Milan.
Their semi-final first-leg ended 3-3 following a thrilling tie in Spain last week.
Nasir Jabbar