October 1, 2026
The Brazilian Football Confederation announced, on Wednesday, the exclusion of Barcelona’s Spanish winger Rafinha (29 years old) from the national team camp as a precautionary measure, after suffering swelling in his thigh muscles.
The exclusion decision came after the player left the field injured during the first half of the friendly match in which Brazil beat Australia 4-2 on Tuesday, which sparked a state of anxiety within the corridors of the Catalan club for fear of missing the efforts of one of the most prominent elements of the team at the start of the season.
The Brazilian Federation confirmed in an official statement that medical examinations confirmed that the player suffered from mild muscle swelling, denying the presence of any other serious injuries. According to this decision, Rafinha will miss the next friendly confrontation against India scheduled for Saturday, at a time when the national team’s technical staff decided not to call a replacement player.
It is noteworthy that Brazil’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, included Rafinha in the two matches against Australia, where he played the entire first match, which ended in a 1-1 draw last Friday, during which he assisted Ryan’s late equalizer, before suffering an injury in the second match.
This development comes at a time when Rafinha is experiencing a remarkable period of brilliance with Barcelona, scoring 14 goals and three assists in only 8 matches he played this season. It is noteworthy that the player suffered from recurring physical problems last season, which limited his participation in 33 matches, in addition to his absence from 4 matches last April due to an injury to the posterior muscle of the right thigh while representing the national team.
It is noteworthy that Barcelona is preparing to resume its competitions on the tenth of next October, when it hosts Getafe in the Spanish League competitions.
