When Raphinha reported for pre-season training with Barcelona last summer, he would have not imagined he would be at the club nine months later, never mind enjoy a dream season.
The Brazilian forward came into the campaign after two underwhelming years, following a £55m move from Leeds in 2022.
Since then the 28-year-old has led Barcelona on a Treble pursuit, with the Blaugrana four points clear at the top of La Liga and through to the final of the Copa del Rey.
On Wednesday they placed one foot firmly in the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund in the first-leg of their last-eight tie.
“That’s 23 games unbeaten now for Barcelona. They still keep the ball, they dominate possession, and they’re ruthless when you give them space,” Karen Carney said on TNT Sports.
“Because of the frontline, they just keep outscoring you. You’d be terrified to face them.”
Raphinha is enjoying the best season of his career by far, with 28 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.
With his efforts against Dortmund, he also equalled Lionel Messi’s club record for goal involvements in a single Champions League campaign.
Raphinha’s 25th-minute opener and subsequent assists for Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal took him to 19 goal involvements in 11 games this campaign, the same number Messi achieved in 11 outings in 2011-12.
“It is phenomenal. It is breathtaking when you put him in the same bracket as Messi with four games potentially remaining,” Stephen Warnock told BBC Match of the Day.
Three more and Raphinha will break the all-time Champions League record, set in 2013-14 when Cristiano Ronaldo contributed to 21 goals in 11 games while at Real Madrid.
Having also created 34 chances in the competition this term, the second most, Raphinha’s exploits alongside Lewandowski and Yamal have made him a contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
“I love playing with players of a very high level,” he said after the Dortmund encounter. “We are managing to make spectacular numbers and I hope we continue like this.”
