Hansi Flick has become a point of contention inside the Barcelona dressing room, even among the team’s leaders. One of the most notable moments during the Real Betis match was the brief altercation between Marc-André ter Stegen and Raphinha Dias following the final whistle. The Brazilian winger, visibly upset by the assistant referee’s actions, approached him demanding silence, a move that did not sit well with the German goalkeeper, who immediately reprimanded him on the pitch.
Raphinha, 28 years old, continued his protest angrily, prompting Ter Stegen to intervene and calm him down, urging him to leave the field to avoid any potential suspension. However, the response from the former Leeds United, Sporting Lisbon, and Rennes player was a series of physical pushes, which only further irritated the German goalkeeper, who didn’t hesitate to confront him. But the incident didn’t end there.
In a comment from their former teammate, Ivan Rakitić expressed his belief that the disagreement extended beyond the match and turned into a heated discussion in the dressing room. He confirmed that the relationship between the players had become tense and cold, to the point where communication between them had completely stopped. As a result, Ter Stegen did not participate in the celebration of Raphinha’s opening goal in the match against Borussia Dortmund.
Although Raphinha’s goal was crucial for Barcelona’s big victory, bringing them closer to qualifying for the Champions League semifinals, an achievement not seen since 2019, Ter Stegen remained reserved, even while watching the match from the stands due to a serious knee injury he had sustained months earlier.
The issue didn’t stop there; the German goalkeeper also showed his displeasure with Raphinha’s actions when he snatched the goal from Pau Cubarsi on the goal line in a moment that almost led to the goal being ruled offside.
Raphinha faced sharp criticism from several analysts, who described him as a “bad teammate,” especially after he pushed Ter Stegen despite knowing the condition of his knee injury, which could have led to complications.
He was also accused of selfishness due to his interference with the ball that was heading toward the net, preventing his teammate Cubarsi from scoring a goal and nearly costing the team a crucial strike in the match.