I turned down Chelsea because of Ronaldinho

The transfer window was a very dramatic one before it closed some days back, and one of its drama was Raphinha’s move to Chelsea during that time.

It was a widely reported incident that the Brazilian had garnered interests from Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea at the time prior to Raphinha’s move to Barcelona.

Now, the former Leeds United winger has opened up on what really influenced his decision to boldly turn down Chelsea even while knowing Barcelona’s financial situation.

The Brazilian revealed it had to do with a certain football idol of his who once wore the Red and blue shirt during his time at the Camp Nou.

Like Raphinha, his football idol was a Brazilian and highly regarded for his talents in the game, and when Raphinha had the choice to follow in Ronaldinho’s footsteps, he could not turn down the dream.

With the help of his agent, Deco who ironically was a former Chelsea player and Barcelona player, the two were able to hold off Chelsea’s moves to lure Leeds United into a trade.

It was a decision the Leeds owner remarked he regretted, due to the way he went against an arranged agreement with Todd Boehly’s led Chelsea.

“Rejecting an offer from Chelsea? Yes, because my dream was to wear the Barca shirt,” he told La Vanguardia

“I have followed them since I was young, since Ronaldinho arrived. I wanted to be a part of it. The desire was stronger than any other proposal, no matter how powerful it was financially.

“I knew that I might have some difficulties to come and to be registered. But I was also aware of the effort the club was making.

“So I decided to trust and adapt to the economic conditions that existed.”

It is quite one thing to live to one’s dream, but one thing though is certain; it does work well to both clubs favor, considering the Blues could have repeated same Romelu Lukaku mistake by having a player whose attention was with another club.