Despite an injury-affected campaign, Raphinha has delivered strong attacking numbers for Barcelona this season, having contributed 12 goals and 5 assists across all competitions.
In domestic football, Raphinha has been particularly effective. He has scored eight goals in La Liga, providing Barcelona with a reliable source of goals from wide areas.
His impact was also decisive in the Spanish Super Cup, where he rose to the occasion on the biggest stage.
The winger struck a brace in the semi-final and followed it up with another two-goal outing in the final, proving once again that he thrives in high-pressure matches.
The Champions League thorn
Despite all these exploits, there is one clear anomaly in his season so far, as Raphinha is yet to score in the UEFA Champions League, which is a surprising given, given his recent history in the tournament.
This is because last season, he finished as the competition’s top scorer, making his current drought stand out even more sharply.
The Brazil international has featured in 20 of Barcelona’s 32 official matches this season.
However, in Europe, his involvement has been limited to four of the seven Champions League games, largely due to a thigh injury that disrupted his rhythm.
As a result, Raphinha has now gone 274 minutes in the Champions League without scoring.
Simply put, the contrast with last season is striking, as in the previous Champions League campaign, Raphinha scored 13 goals. He found the net in nine matches, averaging one goal every 94 minutes.
Now fully fit and back in rhythm, Raphinha enters the decisive phase of the season with unfinished business in Europe.
If his previous Champions League record is any indication, Barcelona know that once the first goal arrives, many more could follow.
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