In one of the most stellar matches of the third day of the UEFA Champions League, a superstar wasted an insignificant presence and dazzled more than the rest: Raphinha.
Barcelona’s 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday was primarily a display of the Brazilian’s skills, as he scored a hat-trick and deftly found the back of the net in every appearance. He set the field in the first minute, receiving a clever pass from Fermín López deep in the opposition half before diving in to perform without a defender in sight. The finish, which even came from the area and then went around goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, was the easy part.
Raphinha and Barcelona repeated the playbook again and again against Bayern, creating a long run from the left flank for their second role in the 45th minute and coming forward on the counterattack in the 56th minute. Barcelona’s attacking technique was almost as simple as simply slipping a pass to Raphinha whenever he was available, making everything else in a high-intensity game seem like a footnote.
The Brazilian international was not only the standout in Barcelona’s first victory under coach Hansi Flick; is briefly becoming the face of the group’s revitalization season. Barcelona recently took a seat at the top of the Los Angeles League standings with 10 games in the books and are the highest scoring team in the league, thanks in large part to Raphina’s contributions. Wednesday’s hat trick brings Raphinha’s total to nine goals and six assists in 13 games this season, averaging a goal or assist every 71.5 minutes.
The 27-year-old reinforces a youth-focused strategy at Barcelona, whose Wednesday matchday squad used to be packed with academy products who are emerging through the ranks, finding an option to stand at the same time. . while 17-year-old Lamine Yamal continues to chart his upward trajectory. The field being carved is also impressive: expectations were not so high for Raphinha when he joined Barcelona from Leeds United in 2022 and went goalless in his first 10 Champions League games.
Although he began to glimpse that possible end to the season, mainly with a double in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, Raphinha has become a more active player since Flick became charge of Barcelona. He’s averaging about 10 more touches and eight more passes per season, where he’s also increased his production in a handful of offensive splits. He is clearly on the verge of surpassing his final season’s tally of 10 goals in all competitions, has doubled his average of chances created to start this season and takes yet another chance in the game. Raphinha has also doubled his expected goals in LA League games this season, which currently sits at 0.6 xG per game.
His transformation is probably the most tangible example of Flick’s influence at Barcelona just two months into his tenure, although it is far from the only one. However, Raphina’s standing is becoming one of the most interesting stories to watch this season in Europe and could lead to another exciting bust in a few days’ time when Barcelona conclude a big event with a trip to El Real Madrid for Saturday’s Clásico.
