Barcelona star Raphinha has matched Lionel Messi‘s incredible goalscoring start to a La Liga season, but Cristiano Ronaldo still holds the record for the most goals after 11 games.

The Brazilian has been virtually unstoppable since reinventing himself as Barcelona’s No.9 in the summer.

Here’s how his numbers compare to two of the greatest ever after 11 games of a La Liga campaign.

Raphinha – 15 goals (2026-27)

Who needs Julian Alvarez?

Barcelona’s failure to land their top summer target has proven a blessing in disguise, with Raphinha looking a natural in his new centre-forward role.

The Brazilian has scored 15 goals in just 10 La Liga appearances, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Racing Santander and Sevilla.

His movement, anticipation and clinical finishing are reminiscent of prime Samuel Eto’o. You’d think he’d been doing this all his life.

He’s matched Messi’s start. Could Raphinha now go one better and threaten some of the icon’s seemingly untouchable records?

Lionel Messi – 15 goals (2012-13)

Messi was at his devastating best in the opening months of the 2012-13 campaign, scoring 15 goals in Barcelona’s first 11 league games. This was the year he set that surely-unbreakable calendar year record.

He drew a blank against Valencia, Granada and Celta Vigo, but scored at least twice in every other match, including a hat-trick against Deportivo La Coruna and a brace against Real Madrid.

Remarkably, the Argentinian magician went on a run of seven successive league appearances scoring exactly twice. He didn’t score just once in a La Liga match until December.

Messi eventually finished with 46 league goals, four short of his record-breaking tally from the previous season.

Under the late Tito Vilanova, Barcelona matched Real Madrid’s 100-point record from the previous season, scoring a ridiculous 115 goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 18 goals (2014-15)

Eighteen goals in 11 matches. And Ronaldo didn’t even play in one of them.

He missed Los Blancos’ second league fixture through injury, but more than made up for lost time with a frankly outrageous run of goalscoring form.

A hat-trick against Deportivo La Coruna. Four against Elche. Another hat-trick against Athletic Club.

He also found the net against Barcelona, scoring a penalty in a 3-1 El Clasico victory as Carlo Ancelotti’s side laid down an early marker in the title race.

At the time, Barcelona were struggling to find their feet under Luis Enrique, with Luis Suarez still serving his suspension for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.

Fast forward seven months and things looked quite different.

Ronaldo finished with 48 La Liga goals, the highest tally of his career and second only to Messi’s record in the history of Europe’s major leagues.

But he and Madrid somehow ended the season without a major trophy, while Lionel Messi, Neymar and Suarez clicked into gear in the new year, inspired Barcelona to the treble.