Raphinha Rewrites History, Eclipsing Brazilian Legends in Barcelona's Record Books

When Raphinha arrived in Catalonia four years ago, he credited international teammate Neymar Júnior with persuading him to chase his dream.

"I spoke with Neymar about the transfer, and he told me that if I joined Barcelona, I wouldn't regret it — and he was absolutely right," the Brazilian said, after turning down an approach from Chelsea.

For a time, however, Raphinha's Catalonian dream was slow to materialize. The winger was no more than decent under Xavi Hernández, with fans questioning whether the former Leeds United man possessed the spark that had made so many Brazilians beloved by the club's exacting supporters.

Raphinha doesn't share the same natural flair as some of the iconic Brazilian players who have graced Barcelona over the years. Yet in the right system, he has more than compensated for that. Hansi Flick has transformed the 29-year-old into a prolific scorer — first as a wide option on the left, and now as the central striker following the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Since Flick took charge, he has become an unstoppable presence and is already among Barcelona's top Champions League scorers of all time.

Raphinha Leapfrogs Neymar in Barcelona's Champions League Goal Charts

Raphinha, who was hampered by injuries last season, has burst out of the blocks in 2026–27. His brace against Aston Villa represented his 18th and 19th goals of the campaign, and the 22nd and 23rd of his Champions League career.

In doing so, Raphinha surpassed two celebrated Brazilian legends — Neymar and Rivaldo — in Barcelona's all-time Champions League scoring rankings. He now sits joint-third alongside Robert Lewandowski, and second place is within reach, with Luis Suárez just two goals ahead.

Lionel Messi's tally of 120 is virtually untouchable, but there's every reason to believe Raphinha can carve out a commanding lead in second place before his time at Camp Nou comes to an end. To borrow a phrase from Gabriel Batistuta — who saw his Argentina scoring record eclipsed by Messi in 2016 — Raphinha could end up "second to an extraterrestrial."

Raphinha, who netted 13 goals in 14 Champions League outings during his standout 2024–25 campaign with Barça, is also finding the net at a higher rate than anyone outside of the man widely considered the greatest footballer of all time. Messi averaged 0.81 goals per Champions League game throughout his Barcelona career. Raphinha currently sits at 0.64 — a superior ratio to every other player who has scored more than two goals in this competition for the club.

Lewandowski, whom Raphinha just drew level with, scored 23 goals in 38 appearances. Raphinha has reached the same tally in just 36.

Nor can anyone question his ability to deliver in high-stakes moments. Raphinha contributed four goals in knockout rounds during 2024–25, including one in the second leg of Barcelona's semifinal against Inter Milan — a strike that would have sealed the tie had Flick's team not inexplicably conceded an equalizer to Francesco Acerbi deep into stoppage time.

He also bagged a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in that season's league phase, and his absence through a hamstring problem was a significant factor in Barça's quarterfinal elimination by city rivals Atlético Madrid.

While Raphinha may have overtaken Neymar in the scoring charts, his compatriot will always have that memorable night in Berlin to look back on. Barcelona have not returned to the Champions League final since, despite coming agonizingly close on several occasions over the last decade.

Data sourced from Transfermarkt.com

Barcelona's 10 Leading Champions League Goalscorers