In the summer of 2020, as Italy quietly laid the groundwork for what would become a triumphant run at the European Championship, their recruitment extended beyond borders. In Leeds, England, a wiry Brazilian winger with Italian heritage was drawing serious interest. His name was Raphinha, and Italy wanted him.
He had not yet debuted for Brazil. He had Italian blood through his father, an EU passport nearly in hand, and dazzling form at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa. Roberto Mancini’s Italy saw potential in him as more than just a future asset. They wanted him immediately for Euro 2020.
“I was close to accepting the Italian national team call,” Raphinha later said in an interview with journalist Isabela Pagliarion on YouTube. “I was supposed to go to the Euros they won in 2020. I was basically set to go. So luckily, since the passport didn’t come through.”
That luck, or fate as he calls it, would reshape his international trajectory. In that critical moment, a bureaucratic delay—not a decision—kept him from donning the Azzurri shirt. Jorginho, Italy’s Brazilian-born metronome, kept calling. The Italian coaching staff had an “amazing project,” Raphinha recalled. It was tempting.
The weight of a jersey
At the time, Italy was no lock for continental success. But their plans for Raphinha were concrete. Deco, his agent, confirmed the Italian federation’s interest. “There was a strong attempt from the federation,” he told Globo Esporte in 2021. “I gave him my advice. Decisions must be wise.”
And Raphinha, by then immersed in European football culture but still emotionally tethered to Brazil, listened to his instincts. “But at the same time, deep down, I still had that 1% of hope that I could wear the Brazil shirt,” he said.
That 1% became 100% in October 2021 when he debuted for Brazil against Venezuela. Since then, he has become a vital component of the Seleção, a starter, and a symbol of Brazil’s transition toward a faster, more aggressive wide play.
Looking back, Raphinha sees the missed passport not as a failure, but as a gift. “I’m thankful every day that I can come back to my nation and be with my compatriots,” he said. “This is something I could not trade for all the goals in the world.”
Had the paperwork arrived in time, Raphinha might have been part of the Italy side that beat England at Wembley. He might have stood on the same podium as Federico Chiesa, whose position he likely would have competed for. But that is not the story that unfolded.
Instead, Raphinha’s story is one of patience, gut feeling, and a passport that arrived just a little too late—and maybe right on time.
