Raphinha has gone from Barcelona captain to record-chasing machine in the blink of an eye. 🇧🇷🔥
The Brazilian produced another sensational performance against Racing Santander, scoring a hat-trick as Barcelona smashed their opponents 7-2. That treble took his LaLiga tally to nine goals in just six matches.
And now comes the crazy part… 👀
Raphinha has matched a scoring start previously achieved by Lionel Messi.
The last Barcelona player to score nine goals in the opening six LaLiga matches was Messi at the beginning of the 2017/18 season. Messi eventually finished that campaign with 34 league goals.
Nine goals.
Six games.
That is outrageous. 🤯🔥
Raphinha has found the net against Athletic Club, Valencia, Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Racing Santander, with his hat-trick against Racing taking him to the top of the early LaLiga scoring chart.
But he isn’t just chasing Messi individually.
Something even more fascinating is happening between Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. After six league matchdays, the pair had combined for 16 goals, surpassing the previous Barcelona benchmark of 15 set by Messi and Cesc Fàbregas in 2011/12.
🔥 Raphinha: 9 goals
🔥 Yamal: 7 goals
🔥 Combined: 16 goals
Barcelona’s attack is absolutely flying.
And the numbers don’t stop there.
Barcelona have already scored 28 goals in their opening six LaLiga matches, while Flick’s side remain perfect in the league. Their latest victory over Racing was their seventh consecutive competitive win to begin the campaign.
Raphinha’s explosion has been particularly remarkable because he has become one of the central figures in Flick’s attacking system. Barcelona’s official statistics had already highlighted his extraordinary opening to the campaign after he scored in each of the first four league matches, becoming only the sixth Barça player to achieve that feat.
And now he’s sitting alongside Messi in another historic statistical conversation. 👑🔥
The comparison obviously comes with a massive caveat: matching a record does not mean matching Messi’s overall Barcelona legacy. Messi’s record book at the club remains enormous, including 50 LaLiga goals in 2011/12 and 73 official goals across all competitions that same season.
But for Raphinha, this is still a spectacular milestone.
He’s not trying to be Messi.
He’s simply producing numbers that have forced his name into the same historical conversations. 😳⚽
And if he keeps scoring at anything close to this rate, Barcelona supporters are going to spend the entire season wondering just how many records could fall before the campaign ends.
Messi set the benchmark.
Raphinha has now caught one of his early-season marks.
And with Yamal flying alongside him, Barça’s attack looks absolutely terrifying. 💙❤️🔥
The record chase has officially begun. 👑⚽
For Raphinha’s record chase
Explain how fixture congestion could affect Raphinha’s scoring pace
Compare Raphinha’s role with Messi’s 2017/18 role
