The Brazil attacker, who is now wearing the captain's armband, felt unwanted at the time.
He recalled to ESPN: "My first six months here, the period from the summer transfer window until the World Cup, was a season where I didn't have the best start, so it crossed my mind to leave the club.
“I had a lot of self-doubt. I have a bad habit of criticizing myself heavily, so to speak, and this pressure made me think about leaving. Then, obviously, after the World Cup I had a huge breakthrough, managing to do great numbers in six months."
Last season was a different story, however. Raphinha continued: "Seeing many things... that the club wanted to sell me, that the fans wanted me to leave, it ends up that you think about leaving, going to a place where there is no pressure. But football is not fun without pressure.
"Football has to have some pressure. I've always dreamed of playing for big clubs, of playing big games for the national team, and you can't achieve these dreams without pressure, the pressure comes as a consequence. So, thank God, I didn't let myself get carried away by those thoughts that, naturally, go through your head. I just focused on working hard and adapting to the new roles that I would have to play on the pitch."