‘An extraordinary footballer’ – Diego Simone goes crazy for Raphinha again ahead of Barcelona clash

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone praised Barcelona captain Raphinha ahead of their upcoming La Liga clash, calling him an extraordinary footballer. Raphinha enters the Sunday fixture as the league's top scorer with 15 goals while playing in a new central attacking role under Hansi Flick.

Simeone noted that Barcelona's attacking dynamic shifted following Robert Lewandowski's summer departure. He explained that defending against Barcelona is now more complex because Raphinha does not operate as a traditional number nine, while Dani Olmo effectively drops deeper to link up play.