Brazil star Raphinha credits Sheffield Wednesday defender for his help as World Cup opener looms
Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Liam Cooper has been hailed by former Leeds United winger and Brazil star Raphinha ahead of Brazil’s opening World Cup match.
Brazil winger Raphinha has credited Sheffield Wednesday defender Liam Cooper with helping him adapt to life in England, admitting he offered him “peace of mind” after joining Leeds United almost six years ago.
The 29-year-old arrived at Elland Road from French club Rennes in October 2020 for a reported fee of £17million. He excelled during his time in West Yorkshire, bringing a sense of Brazilian flair to the Premier League.
His performances for Leeds caught Barcelona’s attention and he moved to the Catalan outfit in July 2022 for a reported fee of £50m. He has since made 177 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 75 goals and registering 59 assists.
The winger is now gearing up for what will be his second World Cup after making it into Carlo Ancelotti’s 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Brazil will play their opening game on Saturday evening, taking on Morocco at 11pm BST, before locking horns with Haiti and Scotland. Cooper has won 19 caps for Scotland during his career.
And ahead of the clash with Morocco, who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup four years ago, Raphinha was asked about former Leeds teammate Cooper, who has been offered a new deal to stay at Hillsborough beyond the expiry of his current contract on June 30, and the impact he had on him during his time at Leeds.
“Liam was a guy who really helped me a lot from the very first day I arrived at Leeds United,” Raphinha told The Scottish Sun. “He helped me to adapt, especially with the language because I didn’t speak it.
“I had no English at all, and I wasn’t used to the football there, and especially the cold weather. Liam was someone who really helped me adapt into the club and brought me in with all the players. Without understanding anything, he tried to talk to me.
“I look back, and Liam was someone who gave me peace of mind to be able to play good football at Leeds. It was really important to have support from someone like him who had been at the club longer.”
Cooper, who joined Wednesday last November, played with Raphinha 40 times for Leeds. The former spent ten years at Elland Road, helping Leeds win promotion to the Premier League in 2019/20 as Championship champions.