Better than Messi? Raphinha smashes Barcelona record and sets his sights on Cristiano Ronaldo

With the "perfect hat-trick" achieved against Sevilla (1-3), Brazilian Raphael Dias "Raphinha" now has fourteen goals in the first eight matches of the current season, the best goalscoring start by a player in Barcelona's history.

The forward from Porto Alegre, who has gone from playing as a winger to occupying the "number 9" position this season, surpassed the record of the Blaugrana legend César Rodríguez, who until now held the record for goals (13) after the first eight matches.

In addition, the first captain of the blaugrana team, who has reached an agreement to renew with Barça until the year 2030, has signed off on the third-best goalscoring start in LaLiga history.

Raphinha now has twelve goals in the first seven matchdays, a figure surpassed only by Esteban Echevarría, who scored 14 for Oviedo in the 1943-44 season, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted 13 goals at the start of the 2014-15 campaign with Real Madrid.

'The records of Barça's unexpected "9" do not end here, as at Sánchez Pizjuán he strung together his second hat-trick in the league championship, after the one achieved against Racing de Santander (7-2), something that had not happened in Spanish competition since the 2017-18 season.'

At Barça, only two players had achieved this milestone: the Argentine Leo Messi (on three occasions) and the Uruguayan Luis Suárez.

Indeed, the Uruguayan striker was the last blaugrana player, until Raphinha's emergence at the Sánchez Pizjuán, to have achieved a "perfect hat-trick", by scoring in the same match with his head, right foot and left foot.

A friendly in Basel, first test as a "9"

The Brazilian achieved it in another brilliant performance as a center forward, a new position for him since last August 16, when his coach, Hansi Flick, suggested he occupy the tip of the attack in the first half of the friendly match against Swiss side Basel.

'"I don’t remember having trained as a "9" in training sessions. In the match, the coach told me that I would play as a "9" and that afterwards I would move to the wing," the Brazilian explained this week in an interview given to Rac1.'

Before the start of LaLiga, the German coach once again raised with Raphinha the possibility of playing up front. At that time, Barça was still dreaming of signing Atlético de Madrid’s Argentine striker Julián Álvarez, a deal it could not complete because of the colchonero club’s refusal to transfer the player.

Without Julián in the squad, Raphinha played in the center-forward position and led his team's rout in their league debut against Elche (5-0), with a brace and an assist.

An average of 1.75 goals per match

And from that August 23 onward, he would not stop scoring goals for Barça in that position. Raphinha has found the net in seven of the first eight matches he has played. He only failed to score against Levante, although at the Ciutat de València he provided two assists.

His scoring average is close to two goals per match (1.75) and, at this start of the season, he surpasses the scoring figures of other established forwards in European football such as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

'The Brazilian's emergence as one of the best "9s" in the game today is explained, in part, by the perfect football machine that the team managed by Hansi Flick has become.'

The LaLiga leaders have scored 36 goals in eight matches (31 in LaLiga and 5 in the Champions League). Raphinha has scored almost 40% of his team's goals. Without being a natural "9", his goals are making people forget Robert Lewandowski, who scored 19 goals in 46 matches last season, and Ferran Torres, who finished his last season at Barça with 21 goals in 49 appearances.

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