Barcelona striker Raphinha is having a season for the history books. In just seven league matches, the Brazilian forward has found the net an astonishing 12 times, a pace that has fans and pundits alike drawing comparisons to two of the greatest players the sport has ever seen.
According to a report from El Diario de Hoy, Raphinha now sits one goal shy of tying a long-standing La Liga scoring record set by Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Real Madrid. He’s also closing in on a separate club record within Barcelona itself, one originally established by Lionel Messi during his own prolific run with the Catalan giants.
For a player who has spent much of his career as a winger rather than an out-and-out forward, this kind of goal-scoring output is remarkable. It suggests Raphinha has evolved into one of the most lethal attackers in Spanish football this season, capable of matching benchmarks left behind by the two men widely regarded as the finest players of their generation.
Should he continue at this rate, Raphinha could soon rewrite parts of La Liga’s record books himself. Barcelona supporters, meanwhile, are enjoying watching a new chapter unfold in a storied lineage of clinical finishers.
Curious about the numbers behind this hot streak? Check out the full story at El Diario de Hoy.
Source: Raphinha, un goleador imparable que hace recordar a Messi y Cristiano (El Diario de Hoy).
Image: Mat Jam, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).