Brazilian international Rafinha made a sharp threat to world champion Argentina before the upcoming big South American derby in Buenos Aires from the world qualifiers on Tuesday, BTA reported.
The Barcelona winger gave an interview for a television show hosted by legendary Brazilian striker Romario. At the end of the interview, Romario asked Rafinha if Brazil would beat Argentina in Buenos Aires.
"We will beat them, without a doubt. On and off the field, if necessary", Rafinha replied.
"Will you score a goal against Argentina?", Romario asked. And Rafinha replied: "I will score a goal for them. Fuck them!".
Meanwhile, Brazil defender Marquinhos showered his teammate Rafinha with praise not only for his performance this season, but also for his leadership qualities, sportal.bg reported.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender gave as an example a situation from the end of the last match of the “Seleção”, in which the Barcelona captain urged star Vinicius Junior to leave the field faster when he was substituted, instead of arguing with the head referee, risking a yellow card that would have brought him a suspension for the match with Argentina.
“Rafinha is phenomenal both as a player and as a person. Now you can see the potential he has, as well as everything he is capable of. We, in the national team, have noticed him for some time. There are leaders in the squad that people cannot notice. Now they see Rafinha's leadership, but we have seen it before. In the last call-ups for the national team, he showed physical, defensive and offensive leadership.
He has always been someone who has taken responsibility on the pitch and in the dressing room, taking part in discussions and debriefings. As a player, there is no point in discussing him. Everyone can see his level, as he is already among those who are fighting for the “Ballon d'Or”. If he continues with this performance until the end of the season, he will certainly be among the main favorites.
As a person he is a wonderful boy, he is great in everyday life. He is very intelligent in the team, he always has the right word at the right moment, which shows the importance of his presence. He demonstrated it with his behavior towards Vinicius, where he showed what kind of leader he is and how important he is for us. The team is made up of people who are not self-absorbed.
At that moment, he was only thinking about the team. He was at the other end of the pitch, completely exhausted and limping from cramps, but he still went to remind Vinicius not to beg for a yellow card, telling him: “Get out of here!”, Marquinhos commented in his press conference before the clash with Argentina.