The Catalan club has claimed the Champions League title five times, most recently in 2015 under Luis Enrique, when they secured a historic treble. ..Continue Reading
Their previous victories came in 1992, 2006, 2009, and 2011. However, recent years have seen them struggle in the competition’s latter stages, with last season ending in a quarter-final exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
This season, though, Barcelona have shown strong form in Europe, finishing second in the new 36-team Champions League standings with 19 points, suffering just one defeat in eight matches.
They cruised past Borussia Dortmund in a two-legged quarter-final tie and are now set to face Inter Milan in the return leg after playing a 3-3 draw on Wednesday.
Raphinha has been pivotal to Barca’s campaign, tallying 12 goals and eight assists in the Champions League so far.
Despite his impressive performances on the field, the Brazilian winger’s earlier prediction missed the mark.
Back in January, during a video with YouTuber and content creator Adri Contreras, Raphinha shared who he believed Barcelona would meet in the Champions League final in Munich on May 31 — but events have since proved him wrong.
“My prediction for the Champions League final? Barcelona vs. Manchester City,” Raphinha said.
Raphinha’s prediction unraveled just weeks after he made it. Manchester City, the reigning champions from 2023 under Pep Guardiola, were knocked out by Real Madrid — the 15-time European titleholders.
Despite leading twice in the first leg at home, City were eliminated with a 6-3 aggregate loss, thanks to a stunning second-leg hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé at the Santiago Bernabéu.
That clash took place in the knockout play-offs. Real Madrid then progressed past their city rivals Atlético Madrid on penalties in the round of 16, earning a quarter-final tie against Arsenal.
However, Arsenal shocked the Spanish giants in the first leg, claiming a commanding 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, and they went on to get a 2-1 win over Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.
If Barcelona manage to overcome Inter Milan, they’ll face either PSG or Arsenal in the final.
