Raphinha’s Goalscoring Revival Has Him and Barcelona Shining in the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga

The Brazilian is gradually rediscovering his best form, and his numbers at the start of the season confirm his resurgence.

Raphinha has once again become a central figure for Barcelona.

The Brazilian has put a difficult period marked by physical issues and a 2026 FIFA World Cup below expectations behind him, rediscovering his best form just as the Catalan giants turn their attention back to Europe.

His start to the 2026-27 season tells the story: eight goals in his first five official appearances and a six-game scoring streak. His impact has been particularly noticeable in the Champions League, where he had already made a major impact during the previous campaign.

RAPHINHA’S GOALSCORING STREAK HAS BARCELONA FIRED UP

The forward is enjoying his best scoring run since joining Barcelona. Raphinha has scored in each of his last six matches, accumulating 10 goals during that span.

The statistic becomes even more impressive when looking at his start to the season: eight goals in Barcelona’s first five official matches. That production puts him in an elite group alongside stars such as Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have also scored at least eight goals in their first five matches of a season with clubs from Europe’s top five leagues.

Raphinha has also scored Barcelona’s first goal in both LaLiga and the 2026-27 Champions League, something no Barcelona player had achieved since Gerard Piqué in the 2021-22 season. Before him, Lionel Messi accomplished the feat in 2018-19 and 2010-11, while Luis Suárez did it in 2015-16.

THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, RAPHINHA’S BIGGEST STAGE

In Europe, the Brazilian continues to produce numbers worthy of an elite player. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Raphinha has recorded 28 direct goal contributions in the Champions League, with 18 goals and 10 assists. Only Harry Kane, with 29, has more.

Raphinha is also the only player during that span to record at least 10 goals and 10 assists in Europe’s premier club competition.

The 2024-25 season was particularly outstanding. Raphinha finished as the Champions League’s joint-top scorer with 13 goals, level with Serhou Guirassy, while also leading the competition in assists with nine. Overall, he directly contributed to 22 goals in 14 appearances.

Now, in his first European match of the new campaign, he made his presence felt once again with a brace against Feyenoord. The Brazilian needed just 2 minutes and 50 seconds to score Barcelona’s first goal of this Champions League campaign.

FROM INJURY CONCERNS TO BECOMING A STAR AGAIN

Raphinha’s current form stands in stark contrast to the difficult moments he previously experienced. Following a spectacular 2024-25 season, in which he recorded 34 goals and 22 assists in 57 appearances for Barcelona, the Brazilian once again dealt with physical problems.

That context also affected his performances with Brazil, particularly at the 2026 World Cup, where he failed to reach the level expected of one of the national team’s leading attacking players.

Now, the picture has changed. Raphinha is scoring, creating chances and leading from the front, while Barcelona are once again enjoying a player who appears to have rediscovered his confidence, rhythm and finishing ability.

With the Champions League among Barcelona’s biggest objectives, the Brazilian is proving once again that when he is healthy and at his best, he can be one of the club’s most dangerous attacking weapons and one of the standout players in European football.