"He deserves it every single match" - Raphinha claims Barcelona teammate deserved to win MOTM instead of him in Real Madrid win

Barcelona star Raphinha has heaped praise on Pedri and stated that the midfielder deserved the Man of the Match award against Real Madrid. He believes that the Spaniard has been running the games for them and has been their best player.

After the El Clasico, Raphinha stated that he was not the best player in the 4-3 win over Real Madrid at home in LaLiga on Sunday. He added that Pedri was his choice for the Man of the Match award and said via TouchlineX:

"I didn't deserve the MOTM award. For me, Pedri deserves it every single match."

Real Madrid took a 2-0 lead early in El Clasico on Sunday thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappe. However, Barcelona made a swift comeback and made it 4-2 with goals from Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, and a brace from Raphina before the half-time break.

Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute, but Los Blancos could not find an equalizer.

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Raphinha gives advice to younger Barcelona teammates

Raphinha spoke to the media during the international break and claimed that he gives advice to his Barcelona teammates when needed. He stated that he was happy to help the youngster get better on the pitch and understood the importance of helping. He said via Barca Blaugranes:

"In my career I've had both sides of the coin. I had the side of not taking care of myself at all and the side of taking care of myself a lot. Now I'm on the side where I take care of myself a lot. I saw the side of not taking care of myself at all and after I started taking care of myself, I realized the importance of taking care of my body."

"I try to convey to the younger ones, to Lamine, to Pedri, to Gavi, to the younger guys, that taking care of yourself is not a silly thing, especially in today's football that demands a lot. There are 70-game seasons, you have to take care of your body, avoid the risk of injury, take care of your sleep, your diet..."

"At the end of the day, it's your job. If you don't take care of the most important part of that job, which is your body, things won't happen the way you want. It's something that was ingrained in me before, I think when I was in France, and it's something that helps me a lot."

Barcelona are now seven points clear of Real Madrid in the league title race. They can seal the title this week when they face Espanyol in the Catalan derby on Thursday, May 15.