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With a red-hot Raphinha leading their attack, Barcelona doesn't seem to need another forward after all.
The fiercely competitive Brazilian kept his great start to the season going on Wednesday by scoring two goals to headline Barcelona's 5-1 thrashing of Feyenoord in their Champions League debut.
His brace, combined with his six goals—leading La Liga—makes Raphinha the top scorer in Europe with eight.
Raphinha got going at the Camp Nou just three minutes after the match started, when he received a pass from Lamine Yamal inside the box. With one touch, he sent a pair of defenders sliding in the wrong direction, allowing him to set himself up and finish with a shot into the back of the net.
Raphinha made it 3-0 after a pass from Pedri in the 57th minute, adding to a goal by Karim Adeyemi.
Substituted in the final minutes, Raphinha was the first off the bench to hug Yamal on the sideline after the Spanish star placed a free kick to extend the victory.
“The truth is that a season has its ups and downs, and starting this season like this gives us a lot of confidence,” Raphinha told Movistar Plus.
Barcelona had wanted to sign a new forward.
The versatile Brazilian, who wears the number 11 and combines energy and relentless finishing like few others, was not meant to lead Barcelona's attack.
Barcelona lost Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the preseason and had gone after Atlético de Madrid's Julián Álvarez to replace them. They had to settle for a hurried deal to bring in Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus at the end of the transfer window. With Jesus—who came on late and scored Barcelona's fifth on Wednesday—slated to be used primarily as a substitute, doubts arose in Barcelona about whether the team would struggle to score.
Now it seems that not spending big on another forward might have been the best “non-decision” of a summer in which the club added Rodri from Manchester City, in addition to wingers Anthony Gordon and Adeyemi.
Hansi Flick was certainly pleased with his squad after a fifth victory. The Barcelona manager praised the energy that Raphinha brings to the team in attack, leading the press that the German demands to quickly recover the ball near scoring positions.
“Raphinha, we saw it today, his energy is enormous. We have a lot in transition, on the counterattack, and when we keep the ball and wait to create situations,” commented the Barcelona coach.
Raphinha is constantly evolving.
Raphinha, 29, has already successfully reinvented himself before.
He arrived from Leeds in 2022 with the reputation of being a fast, hardworking winger. But after Lamine Yamal broke through as the starter on the right wing, Raphinha seemed headed for the exit at the club.
Instead, Raphinha proved he could perform just as well on the left or even in an interior position. The result was explosive: 34 goals in the 2024-25 season as he helped Barcelona win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and reach the Champions League semifinals.
Raphinha dealt with injury problems last season and his World Cup with Brazil was cut short by a hamstring strain. That likely played a part in why he was not among the 30 Ballon d'Or finalists announced on Tuesday. He finished fifth in the voting in the 2025 edition of the award.
This season, Raphinha has been a major reason why Barcelona has started intimidatingly well in La Liga, where they have outscored their rivals 17-2 through four matchdays. That goal difference of +15 in the first four matches is the best start in the club's history.
Asked about not being on the Ballon d'Or list, Raphinha said he didn't want to talk about it.
“I only talk about how Barça is having a great season,” he stated.
[Publicidad]