JEDDAH: Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised Raphinha’s mindset after the striker scored twice to help his side beat Real Madrid and retain the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday.
The Brazilian winger has seven goals in his last five matches, including a brace in the 3-2 win over Los Blancos in Saudi Arabia. Raphinha was injured for around two months as Barca’s form dipped in October and November, but he came back strongly.
“His mentality is incredible, his dynamic affects the whole team,” Flick told reporters.
Raphinha missed a good chance in the first half but almost immediately gave Barca the lead in Jeddah. Then, with the score tied at 2-2, the 29-year-old scored the winner from outside the box, using a deflection.
“He missed the first chance but the second he was there and (scored) the first goal, and that gave the team more confidence,” Flick continued. “That’s what Raphinha brings to the pitch, it’s a lot of intensity and we need that.”
Barca won the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid last season, en route to a domestic treble.
Flick said he hoped the victory would help the La Liga leaders realize their other ambitions this season.
“We are in a good mood, we have a lot of confidence now,” said Flick, after Barca’s 10th consecutive victory in all competitions. “This final was very important for us because against Real Madrid is always something special. Once again we won a final and it’s fantastic.”
The match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium turned into a thriller, with four goals scored in a thrilling spell late in the first half.
After a balanced first half, Barcelona gradually took control before the break and were rewarded in the 36th minute when Raphinha burst into the box and fired a low shot into the far corner to give his side the lead.
Xabi Alonso’s Real hit back in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when Vinicius Jr collected the ball near the halfway line, raced down the flank, raced past two Barcelona defenders and finished in the far corner in a superb solo effort.
The first half drama was far from over and two minutes later Robert Lewandowski gained space in the penalty area and finished with a tricky shot to give Barca the lead again, only for the chaos to continue moments before the break.
From a Real corner, Raphinha cleared the goal line, but Gonzalo Garcia pounced on the rebound, the ball hitting both bar and post before crossing the line, bringing the teams level once again as the teams went into the break.
Raphinha struck again for Barca in the 73rd minute after drifting into a dangerous position on the edge of the area. Sliding slightly as he pulled the trigger, his shot deflected off a Real defender, wrong-footed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and into the net.
As time ticked past the 90 minute mark, the temperature on the pitch rose again as Barcelona were reduced to 10 men after Frenkie de Jong was sent off for a foul on Kylian Mbappe.
Real pressed but failed to make their numerical advantage count, going agonizingly close when close range efforts from Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono were both saved by goalkeeper Joan Garcia to give Barcelona their 16th Super Cup title, with the defeat likely to bring back recent doubts over the future of Real coach Alonso.
“No matter how you lose, it hurts, but it’s clear that it was a very balanced match, very contested, with a bit of everything,” Alonso told Movistar. “We were very close to equalizing, we fought until the end and I have to congratulate Barça.”
Published in Dawn, January 13, 2026
