Rafinha has unquestionably been one of the biggest performers for Barcelona this season, with 20 goals and 11 assists.
The winger recently performed brilliantly in the 5-1 win over Real Betis, as he notably scored a goal, taking his goal tally to 20 for the season.
Rafinha leads Brazilian giants past Barcelona
In view of Raphinha’s performance against Real Betis, a recent report Mark Offering a comprehensive look at all the Brazilian greats of the past and how they have fared against Raphinha.
Turns out, Raphinha is ahead of Neymar, Ronaldo and Rivaldo in terms of the number of goals scored in a season till the month of January.
As mentioned earlier, Raphinha’s current tally is 20 goals in 28 competitive matches – a figure that had not been previously reached by any Brazilian star of the past.
This includes former Ballon d’Or winners Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. Even modern star Neymar has not been able to match that figure in any season for Barcelona.
To find anyone who surpassed Raphinha you would have to go back to the 1960s, specifically the 61–62 season, when Evaristo de Macedo played for the first month of the year between league matches and the now-defunct Fairs Cup. Scored 21 goals in 21 games.
It’s an indication of what kind of change Raphinha is enjoying this term, especially after a difficult campaign under previous manager Xavi Hernandez, who was Not a big fan of the Brazilian international,
However, under Flick, things have changed for Raphinha. The former Leeds United star is playing with more confidence and dedication, which has been reflected in his performances on the field.
Raphinha is already sixth among the top Brazilian goalscorers of all time at Barça, having recently been overtaken by another icon in Romario.
Having already doubled his goal tally in his first two seasons at Barcelona, Raphinha has a great chance to increase his tally further and perhaps reach the 50-goal involvement mark.
However, for now, the Brazilian will be focused on the task ahead as Barcelona take on Getafe tonight.