Barcelona's International Break Anxiety: Raphinha's Risk

Hansi Flick feels it in the pit of his stomach every time the calendar pauses for internationals. The break has only just begun, and Barcelona’s coach is already counting bodies, miles and risks.

“I feel anxious when the players leave, but I trust the national team coaches and I try to stay positive,” he admitted a few days ago. The tension hasn’t eased since.

A Squad Scattered Across the Globe

Seventeen Barcelona players have disappeared into national team camps this time. It was supposed to be 18, but Andreas Christensen’s left thigh muscle problem has kept him in Barcelona and out of Denmark’s plans. One fewer flight, one fewer risk. Barely a consolation.

Inside the club, no one talks about fear. The word is different: anxiety. The squad is in top physical shape, the numbers are strong, the rhythm is good. But now come the transatlantic trips, the heavy minutes, the training loads Flick cannot control. One awkward landing, one sprint on a tired pitch, and weeks of planning can unravel.

Raphinha knows that story too well. So do Barcelona.

Spain’s Block and a Familiar Opponent

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain camp looks a lot like a Barcelona training session. Seven Barça players are with La Roja: Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Rodri, Pedri, Fermín, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal. A core of the present, and very clearly the future.

They will run into another Barça face from a distance in the match against Croatia: goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, also on international duty. Another reminder that for Europe’s elite, there is no such thing as a quiet international window.

Just below them, the conveyor belt continues. Xavi Espart and Marc Bernal have joined Spain’s under-21s, who are chasing a place at Euro 2027. To get there, they must grind through three qualifiers against Finland, San Marino and Romania. More minutes, more travel, more variables for a club that can’t do anything but watch.

Call-Ups Pile Up

The list keeps growing. Adyemi has been called up by Germany after a spell out, for games against Serbia and Greece. Raphinha flies with Brazil. João Cancelo joins Portugal. Gordon reports to England. Jules Koundé links up with France. Hamza Abdelkarim travels with Egypt. Bisseck joins Belgium’s under-21s.

Each name is a fresh line on the risk ledger.

Barcelona’s greatest concern, though, is clear. It’s Raphinha.

He is the most in-form player in Flick’s squad right now: 14 goals in eight matches. Irreplaceable numbers. Irreplaceable momentum. Now he faces long-haul flights, time zone changes and a workload Barça cannot manage from afar. History tells them to worry.

Raphinha, the Fragile Star

The Brazilian has returned injured from international duty before. More than once. He is not alone in that. Lamine Yamal, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong have also come back from their national teams carrying problems, forcing Barcelona to adjust on the fly.

The most recent warning sign with Raphinha came on the biggest stage. During the last World Cup, he suffered pain in the tendons of his right knee. It didn’t come out of nowhere. A few months earlier, in March, during a friendly between Brazil and France in the United States, he had already injured the same area. He was dropped from the squad and sent straight back to Barcelona, where he spent five weeks on the sidelines.

Last season, scattered injuries repeatedly broke his rhythm and limited his availability. Flick and the club know what he means to their attack now. They can’t afford a repeat.

And the danger isn’t only in the matches themselves. The flights matter. The jet lag matters. The fatigue that lingers for days matters. For a player living on explosive sprints and sharp changes of direction, those details are not minor.

Laporta’s Warning Shot

From the boardroom, the message is no softer. President Joan Laporta used Saturday’s general assembly to put his frustration on record. He did not hide his anger at the timing of this break or the number of games his players are being asked to play.

“This break affects the rhythm of our preparations. It harms us greatly. We have to keep fighting and find the right balance. There are many competitions, the Conference League and the Nations League ... the schedule is extremely crowded,” Laporta said.

Flick watches planes take off. Laporta talks of crowded calendars and balance. The medical staff refresh injury histories and brace for phone calls.

Seventeen Barcelona players are now in the hands of others. When they come back, we’ll find out how high the real cost of this international break is.