When Raphinha showed up for pre-season training with Barcelona last summer, he probably couldn’t have imagined that by now, he’d be on the verge of rewriting club history.
The Brazilian winger, who joined from Leeds in 2022 for £55m, has seen his fortunes change dramatically this season. After two seasons of modest returns, Raphinha is now leading Barcelona on a thrilling Treble chase. With the team four points clear at the top of La Liga and set to face off in the Copa del Rey final, it’s been a campaign to remember.
But that’s not all—Barcelona is now firmly in control of their Champions League quarterfinal tie after a 4-0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund. With this result, they’ve put one foot in the semifinals.
“Barcelona are on a 23-game unbeaten run, playing with dominance and ruthless precision,” said TNT Sports’ Karen Carney. “Their attacking front is terrifying to face.”
Raphinha has been a standout performer, enjoying the most prolific season of his career, with an impressive 28 goals and 20 assists across all competitions. His performance against Dortmund was key, with a 25th-minute goal and assists for Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal.
Remarkably, Raphinha has now equaled Lionel Messi’s club record for goal involvements in a single Champions League season, achieving 19 goal contributions in just 11 games, matching Messi’s 2011-12 tally.
“It’s phenomenal. Breathtaking,” said BBC’s Stephen Warnock. “To think he’s in the same category as Messi with potentially four more games to play is incredible.”
With three more goal contributions, Raphinha would break the all-time Champions League record of 21, set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14. And with 34 chances created, the Brazilian is second only to Messi in that regard.
Alongside Lewandowski and Yamal, Raphinha’s performances have made him a strong contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
“I love playing with high-level players,” Raphinha shared after the Dortmund game. “We’re putting up spectacular numbers, and I hope we can keep it going.”
