Despite the presence of players like Vinícius Jr or Rodrygo Goes, few doubt that the true football leader of Brazil is Raphinha… and he feels like one not only on the field but also off it. He reaffirmed this in an interview with Romario, where he proudly defended Brazil, launching this brutal threat before facing Argentina in the Superclásico of South America in the 14th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Raphinha wants to be the leader of Brazil

His attitude throughout the match against Colombia, but especially in the final stretch, showed how focused Raphinha was on the game against Argentina. Much was speculated about whether he would force a yellow card to return to Barcelona earlier than expected. But, far from that, he did everything possible to prevent Vinícius from also being booked when Dorival Jr decided to substitute him after scoring the winning goal.

"As a person, he's an excellent guy, great in his daily life, very intelligent in the group, always has the right words at the right time, and that shows and demonstrates the importance of his presence. That was proven in his behavior with Vinicius, where he showed what a leader he is," highlighted his teammate and captain Marquinhos about Raphinha's attitude.

Raphinha's threat to Argentina

To recall Brazil's last victory against Argentina, one has to go back to the semifinals of the Copa América 2019, which Brazil would go on to win against a surprising Peru. Since then, they have met four more times, resulting in three victories and one draw in favor of the team led by Lionel Scaloni.

"We're going to give them a beating, no doubt. On and off the field if necessary," Raphinha responded to Romario's question. However, it didn’t end there, as Raphinha promised that he would score for the first time against Argentina: "I'm going to score a goal, they can go to hell. With everything." If the match was already expected to be highly tense… Raphinha has just turned up the heat.