Rafinha eyeing regular Barca games to seal Olympics place

Barcelona midfielder Rafinha may be sidelined with a serious knee injury but the Brazilian has got his sights set on playing at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Rafinha was ruled out for six months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Barca’s Champions League clash with Roma in September.

The 22-year-old is not expected to return until March, but once fit he is determined to force his way into the first-team at Camp Nou to boost his international hopes.

“I was operated on three months ago and in January I’ll be able to start running again,” he told AS. “And in March I’ll be ready to return to the team. 

“I dream about playing in the Olympics but I need more minutes with Barcelona to be considered for the squad for Rio.”

In his fledgling career Rafinha has made two senior appearances for Brazil, his debut coming against Costa Rica in September 2015 before scoring his first goal four days later against United States.