There were days when I had absolutely nothing. People see the lights, the stadiums, the trophies now… but they don’t know what it cost us to get here. My wife saw me when nobody else believed in me. She stayed when I was broke, frustrâted, añgry at myself, questioning if football was even going to save us. There were nights we didn’t know how we would pay bills, nights I felt like I was fa!ling as a man. And every single time, she looked at me and said, ‘Keep going. Your moment will come.’ She sacr!ficed everything for me. Her comfort, her peace, her dreams sometimes… just so I could chase mine. While I was f!ght!ng for contracts and opportunities, she was f!ghting silently beside me. She carried me emotionally when I was too tired to carry myself. People think footballers become strong alone. That’s not true. I became strong because she never let me give up on myself. That’s why I play with so much emotion. That’s why I can’t relax, can’t stop pushing, can’t d!sappoint her. Because when I had nothing — no money, no certainty, no guarantees — she still chose me. So every goal, every victory, every time I step onto that pitch… it’s for her too. Because I’ll never forget who was beside me when the world had nothing to clap for.”—Raphinha🇧🇷
