Upon his arrival in Catalonia four years ago, Raphinha thanked international teammate Neymar Júnior for convincing him to fulfil his dream.

“I talked to Neymar about a move, and he told me that if I get to Barcelona, then I won’t regret, and he was right,” the Brazilian said, having rejected a move to Chelsea.

For a while, though, Raphinha’s Catalonian utopia struggled to come to pass. The winger was merely O.K. under Xavi Hernández, with supporters suggesting that the former Leeds United star was bereft of the magic that had helped so many Brazilians endear themselves to a demanding fanbase.

Raphinha is unlike some of the samba stars of yesteryear, including those who passed through Barcelona. However, in the right hands, he has more than made up for his absence of natural flair. Hansi Flick has converted the 29-year-old into a goal machine, first as an outlet on the left, now as his center forward following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

He’s evolved into an inevitable force since Flick took the reins and is already one of Barcelona’s leading Champions League goalscorers.

Raphinha Leapfrogs Neymar in Barcelona’s Champions League Goal Charts

Raphinha, who was limited due to injuries last season, has started 2026–27 on fire. His two goals against Aston Villa were his 18th and 19th strikes of the campaign, and the 22nd and 23rd in his Champions League career.

As a result, Raphinha leapfrogged two modern-day Brazilian icons, the aforementioned Neymar and Rivaldo, in the club’s Champions League scoring charts. He’s now joint-third with Robert Lewandowski, and will soon move into second spot, given that Luis Suárez is just two ahead.

Lionel Messi’s haul of 120 will be impossible to match, but there’s no reason why Raphinha can’t establish a comfortable lead in second by the time he departs Camp Nou. To quote Gabriel Batistuta, who lost his Argentina scoring record to Messi in 2016, Raphinha could sit “second to an extraterrestrial.”

Raphinha, who scored 13 goals in 14 Champions League appearances during his most prolific campaign with Barça in 2024–25, is also scoring at a more frequent rate than anyone who isn’t regarded as the greatest soccer player ever. Messi scored 0.81 goals per Champions League match during his Barcelona career. Raphinha is currently averaging 0.64—a better strike rate than those who have scored more than two goals in this competition for Barça.

The man he just drew level with, Lewandowski, scored 23 in 38. Raphinha has struck 23 times in 36.

And you can’t say he hasn’t scored goals when it matters most either. Raphinha got four knockout goals in 2024–25, including one in the second leg of Barcelona’s semifinal against Inter Milan, which would’ve been the winner had Flick’s side not inexplicably allowed Francesco Acerbi to equalize in stoppage time.

Raphinha also scored a hat trick against Bayern Munich in that season’s league phase, and his absence due to a hamstring injury undoubtedly played a role in Barça’s quarterfinal exit at the hands of domestic rivals Atlético Madrid last term.

He may have bypassed Neymar in the goal charts, but Raphinha’s compatriot will always have that night in Berlin to fall back on. Barcelona haven’t returned to the Champions League final since, despite coming ever so close on multiple occasions over the past decade.

Data sourced from Transfermarkt.com

Barcelona’s 10 Leading Champions League Goalscorers