My childhood friends are dead from lawless life in favelas but football saved me, says Leeds’ Brazilian star Raphinha
RAPHINHA has told of his childhood trauma with his close friends dying after being dragged into the favelas’ drug wars.
The Leeds United star, 25, has lit up the Premier League since his arrival in 2020.
But life has not always been easy for the winger.
Growing up in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Raphinha explained that the life of crime was appealing due to its access to fast money.
But football saved him and gave him opportunities to prosper outside of crime.
The same could not be said for many of his friends, some of whom died after getting caught up in the drug trade.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Raphinha said: “Often in life, the easiest way to make money is the wrong way.
“It’s just part of the life there, there’s very much a glass ceiling and an inability to escape it, an inability to get the focus to aspire to an honest life, a hard-working life, a better life.
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“It’s hard to achieve that without resorting to something illegal like the drug trade.
“Football saved me. It didn’t just allow me to change my life, it allowed me to become an example for children and adults who might also have hard lives, coming from similar places.
“If you take the wrong path, the easy route, it can often cost you in the long-term for the rest of your life.
“I want to help these kids who need it.
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“Some of my childhood friends are dead; others got involved in the drug trade. That has all stayed with me.
“I want to change [these kids’] focus, give them a better future. As I couldn’t help my friends, I want to help the next generation of children.”
Raphinha is already a role model for children in his native country – and has seven caps for Brazil.
His fame could increase even further should he move to one of Europe’s elite clubs, having been linked to Barcelona and Chelsea.