Rafinha wore the FC Bayern jersey for eight years. The Brazilian won seven German championship titles and once the Champions League with the Munich side. In an interview, the 37-year-old looked back on his time with the German record champions and didn’t give Niko Kovac a good hair.
In 2011, Rafinha came to FC Bayern from Genoa for 5.5 million euros. His second stop in the Bundesliga after the full-back previously played for FC Schalke 04. But while he was an undisputed regular with the Knappen, he mostly had to sit on the bench in Munich.
It wasn’t until the beginning of the 2013/14 season that he finally made his breakthrough with the German record champions. At that time, Pep Guardiola had just taken over the helm at Säbener Straße and from then on relied on the defensive man.
FC Bayern: “That wasn’t particularly beneficial”
“I owe Pep an incredible amount. Contrary to all the critics, he relied on me and made it clear from the start that I was his right-back. I felt the trust in every training session, in every game. Every unit under Pep was comparable to a Bundesliga game. He brought us forward every day,” enthused the 37-year-old in an interview with “Transfermarkt.de”.
The right-back also only spoke positively about working with Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti. The two coaching legends were “outstanding” and always made sure “that there was a good atmosphere in the dressing room and that the players always came to training in a good mood.”
But not every trainer kept Rafinha in positive memory. “Unfortunately, with Niko Kovac I experienced the complete opposite. I don’t know why this icy atmosphere prevailed, but it wasn’t particularly beneficial,” criticized the former Schalke player.
The current coach of VfL Wolfsburg took over FC Bayern in 2018. However, his tenure was not crowned with success. After a weak start to the 2019/20 season, the Croatian had to pack his bags again after around 16 months.