Rafinha admits scoring for Barcelona against his old club felt “very special and very strange. There will always be a place in my heart for Inter and I was convinced I'd stay.”
The Brazilian was making his comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off when given a six-month loan at San Siro in January.
After scoring two goals with three assists in 17 games, the Nerazzurri were expected to take up their €40m option to buy, but were held back by Financial Fair Play considerations.
Rafinha admits scoring for Barcelona against his old club felt “very special and very strange. There will always be a place in my heart for Inter and I was convinced I'd stay.”
The Brazilian was making his comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off when given a six-month loan at San Siro in January.
After scoring two goals with three assists in 17 games, the Nerazzurri were expected to take up their €40m option to buy, but were held back by Financial Fair Play considerations.
When the sides met at Camp Nou last month, it was Rafinha who scored in the 2-0 Barcelona victory.
“I felt great joy within me at having scored for my team, but at the same time I didn’t want to celebrate out of respect for my former teammates,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.
“I asked Handanovic for some water and I couldn’t have done that if I wasn’t friends with Samir. It was all very special and at the same time very strange. A few months ago, I was battling side by side with these fantastic teammates and now I’m facing them as opponents. It was an odd feeling.
“If it had all gone the way I expected, I would’ve been playing that game in an Inter jersey, but that’s not what happened and I am very happy and motivated to be here.
“I was convinced that I’d stay at Inter, but events took a different turn. They preferred other players and I had no other option but to keep going along my path.
“The affection and appreciation I have for Inter is because they helped me get back on my feet after nine months out.”
Rafinha reveals he wasn’t specifically told that the option to buy wasn’t being taken up.
“There wasn’t a precise moment. The weeks just kept going by and I saw they were signing other players. Luciano Spalletti is very direct in his training methods, but I never talked about this with him.
“I am convinced the injury improved me as a player and a professional. It also improved me as a guitarist, seeing as I couldn’t get out of bed and had many hours to practice! My motto is: all bad things teach you a valuable lesson.”
Curiously, it was a tackle from Radja Nainggolan for Roma that caused the meniscus injury in a Champions League game, yet Rafinha was effectively replaced in the Inter side by the Belgian.
“Injuries can happen in football. He was aiming for the ball and got me. I do hope Nainggolan wins a great deal with Inter. I am not a person who holds on to a grudge and Nainggolan did send me a message after the injury.”
Rafinha is certainly still cheering the Nerazzurri on from Barcelona and would’ve loved to remain in Italy.
“People told me Serie A was all about tactics and really boring, but I loved everything about it. I had a great experience there and there will always be a place in my heart for Inter.
“I don’t think Inter are too far off challenging Juventus for the Scudetto, as they’ve got a great project and new President Steven Zhang is a real reference point for us players. He’s very young and it was surprising to meet him at first, but you quickly realise how intelligent, wise and focused he is.”