Deco is living a special moment in his new role as Barcelona's sporting director. In only his second season in the position, the Portuguese-Brazilian has already celebrated his first title: the Spanish Super Cup, secured with a commanding 5-2 victory over Real Madrid. However, the scoreline is just the tip of an iceberg. This triumph reflects meticulous work that goes far beyond the field. To Deco, this success is not just about team but also a project of trying to balance tradition and modernity under the most adverse financial conditions.
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The former player, once one of the greatest midfield maestros, now has to orchestrate a totally different symphony. The challenge: to make Barcelona a powerhouse both on and off the pitch. And in the middle of it all, one name stands out: Raphinha.
A talent turned reality
Deco has known Raphinha since his early days in the academy and played a key role in bringing the forward to Barça. As the player’s former agent, Deco has always believed in the Brazilian’s potential. Now, in his new position, he doesn’t hold back on praise. “What you’re seeing this season is Raphinha being Raphinha,” he stated. In Decco's words, the adaptation and maturation process for the forward has been completed; he is delivering performances that have placed him in the leading positions in the world.
Raphinha's goal against Real Madrid in the final was not just one more statistic. It was a statement that he is ready for a leading role in a team that demands excellence. Deco knows it, and the route the player has taken so far is proof that talent, when joined by hard work, always reaches the top.
La Masía as the heart of the project
For Deco, the future of Barcelona inevitably goes through La Masía. The club's academy, which brought about Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi, is still the foundation of its sporting project. Players like Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Balde, and Marc Casadó form the backbone of Barça's present and future. And Deco understands the weight these young talents carry.
"The soccer market becomes more inflated every year. It creates a natural connection between the players and the club to have homegrown talents, which helps build great first teams," Deco said. It is not only a question of nostalgia; that is pragmatic realism in a market where the sums paid on transfers often reach figures that are simply astronomical.
The perfect example is Lamine Yamal, who is only 17 years old. His skill, vision, and maturity on the field prove that he is ready to shine alongside veterans like Lewandowski.
Balancing the past and the future
But Deco's challenges do not end on the field. Barcelona's financial crisis casts a very long shadow over Camp Nou. How Deco balances the team's competitiveness with structuring the club's finances is probably his biggest task. "The challenge is to leave a team for the present and the future, while organizing the club financially with a wage bill that fits today's reality," he insisted.
Barcelona, once epitomized strength in finances, now faces rather turbulent waters. Deco understands perfectly that with best-laid planning and strategy comes no overnight success. He can only too vividly appreciate that there must also be patience exercised in fitting the pieces of all these moving parts together into something sustainable. That ambition remains very much the same: to compete alongside the world's biggest clubs.