In Barcelona, where Brazilian forwards have long left their own shade of colour on the club’s history, Raphinha is moving quickly towards some of the most familiar names. The current Barça captain has begun the season in striking form, pushing himself into Golden Boot contention while continuing a rapid climb among the club’s leading Brazilian scorers.
Raphinha now has 89 goals from 185 appearances for Barcelona, placing him fifth in the ranking of Brazilian players to score for the Catalan club. His next landmark is Ronaldinho: the former Ballon d’Or winner produced 94 goals in 207 matches, leaving Raphinha only five behind.
Beyond Ronaldinho sit Neymar and Evaristo, level in second place with 105 Barcelona goals apiece. Should Raphinha preserve his present scoring rate, both totals could be within reach before the end of the campaign.
The summit remains a far more distant destination. Rivaldo leads Barcelona’s Brazilian scoring list after registering 130 goals in 235 games, a figure that appears unlikely to be caught this season. Yet Raphinha’s opening burst has already made the pursuit of the club’s Brazilian greats one of the storylines around Barça’s year.
