Barcelona forward’s UCL brilliance puts him in club’s history books – Is Ballon d’Or next?” | OneFootball

Raphinha is proving to be a key player for Barcelona in the Champions League this season, showing no shortage of motivation on the European stage.

His performances have been nothing short of outstanding, and it is no surprise that his name is being mentioned in discussions for individual awards such as the Ballon d’Or.

The Brazilian winger has been delivering consistently, making a strong case for himself among the best performers in the competition.

Goals galore

After scoring twice against Benfica in the second leg of the Round of 16, Raphinha has established himself as the current top scorer in the Champions League.

With 11 goals and 5 assists to his name, he sits at the top of the scoring charts. He is closely followed by Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, who has 10 goals, while Robert Lewandowski is just behind with 9.

Raphinha’s overall contributions across all competitions this season are equally impressive, with a total of 27 goals and 19 assists.

However, his impact goes beyond just finding the back of the net. Raphinha has also been instrumental in creating opportunities for his teammates.

Raphinha has been involved in 16 goals in UCL for Barcelona this season. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

In the Champions League alone, he has played 22 matches for Barcelona, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists.

This means he has been directly involved in nearly half of the team’s total goals in the competition, underlining his importance to the squad.

Nearing the greats

Benfica, in particular, has struggled to contain Raphinha, as he has already scored five goals against them this season. To put that into perspective, Mohamed Salah managed three goals across the entire 2024/25 Champions League campaign.

With his latest brace, Raphinha has entered an elite group of Barcelona players who have scored the most goals in a single European season.

He now shares a place in the top three alongside Lionel Messi, who scored 15 in a season, and Rivaldo, who netted 11.

Furthermore, he has equalled Ronaldo Nazario’s tally of 47 goals in Barcelona’s history and is just one goal away from matching David Villa’s total of 48.

Under Hansi Flick, Raphinha has evolved into a player capable of delivering when it matters most.

Flick has been able to bring out the best in the Brazilian, who is determined to restore Barcelona’s status as a dominant force in Europe.

His performances have not only kept the team competitive but have also reignited hopes of a deep Champions League run this season.