Raphinha's Scorching Start: Barcelona Star Surpasses Messi, Trails Only Ronaldo

Raphinha is scoring goals for Barcelona with apparent ease. He turned a 0-1 deficit against FC Sevilla into a 3-1 victory.

The first half at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was a hard-fought, balanced affair. League leaders Barcelona found themselves trailing briefly after Youssouf Fofana's goal in the 19th minute. Captain Raphinha quickly equalized in the 22nd minute, and the teams went into halftime tied at 1-1.

After the break, the match became increasingly one-sided. Barca asserted more dominance, and the combination of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha proved decisive twice. Yamal, the Spanish World Cup winner, provided assists for his Brazilian striking partner, who finished both chances in the 52nd and 69th minutes. Raphinha was substituted in the 76th minute, with Karim Adeyemi coming on.

It was a memorable night for the statisticians. Raphinha scored his tenth, eleventh, and twelfth goals of the season in Sevilla, doing so in just seven league matches. The question is, has this happened before, and when?

Raphinha's Season Start vs. Messi and CR7

Opta, the data analysts, reported that in the 21st century, only one player has scored more goals by the seventh matchday. Cristiano Ronaldo, playing for Real Madrid in the 2014/15 season, had already netted 13 goals by this point, even missing a game while carrying an injury.

And what about Lionel Messi? His record stands at eleven goals after the seventh matchday in the 2017/18 season.

What was the final tally for these superstars? Ronaldo finished with an astonishing 48 goals and 17 assists in 35 games, though Barcelona still won the league that year. In 2018, the Catalans also celebrated the title, with Messi contributing 34 goals and 14 assists in 36 matches.

Where will Raphinha finish? His current record for Barcelona is 18 goals and 12 assists in the 2024/25 season.

With their seventh win in seven league games, the Flick-managed team has extended their lead over second-place Real Madrid to six points. Real Madrid plays the Madrid derby against Atletico on Sunday and could close the gap.