Raphinha has had a scandalous season with Barcelona, with 27 goals and 18 assists in all matches in 45 performances. And it is in the Champions League that he mainly thrive.
During the 4-0 victory of Barcelona on Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in the first stage of their quarter-final draw, Raphinha continued his excellent Champions League with one goal and two assists. And that has brought him to 12 goals and seven assists in the competition, because he leads both goals and assistance graphs.
And this total of 19 target contributions lets him chase the record in the Champions League, which is held by Cristiano Ronaldo (22 g/a). He is already the Brazilian player with the most target contributions in one campaign in the competition, and on Wednesday he attracted level with the best individual season of Lionel Messi, according to Diario ALS.
In the 2011-12 season, Messi gained 14 goals and five assists for Barcelona in the Champions League, and that a total of 19 target contributions is now matched by Raphinha, who hope to pass past the Argentinian icon when the Catalan side face Borussia Dortmund in the return leg of next Tuesday.
It has been a very special season from Raphinha until this phase, and as things are, he is the favorite of many people to win the Ballon d'Or from 2025, which will be distributed by France later in the year. And given his numbers, it would be no surprise to see him above it, especially if Barcelona would end the season with success in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
Raphinha is unlikely to think about personal data at this stage, because his focus will be on ensuring that Barcelona has a very successful end of the season.