Raphinha sets Barcelona record with 14 goals in 8 matches

Brazilian forward Raphinha has begun the 2026-27 season in historic form, scoring 14 goals across all competitions—12 in La Liga—in Barcelona's first eight matches. The 29-year-old has adapted seamlessly to playing as a centre-forward after spending most of his career as a winger, following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. His tally surpasses the previous Barcelona club record of 13 goals set by César Rodríguez in the 1948-49 season, and ranks as the third-best goalscoring start in La Liga history, behind only Esteban Echevarría (14 goals in 1943-44) and Cristiano Ronaldo (13 goals in 2014-15).

Raphinha's performances have included back-to-back hat-tricks: against Racing Santander (7-2) and Sevilla (1-3). His hat-trick against Sevilla was a "perfect" hat-trick, comprising a goal with his right foot, one with his head, and one with his left foot—the first Barcelona player to achieve this since Luis Suárez in May 2015. Only Lionel Messi (three times) and Suárez have scored consecutive hat-tricks for Barcelona in La Liga. Raphinha's goalscoring represents nearly 40 percent of Barcelona's 36 goals in eight matches across all competitions this season, and his average of 1.75 goals per match exceeds that of other established forwards including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.

Despite this record-breaking form, Raphinha was excluded from the 30-player shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, an award decided based on performances from the previous season—when he scored 21 goals and provided seven assists across 33 matches while dealing with injuries. The omission has drawn criticism from opposition figures, most notably Sevilla manager Luis García Plaza. Following Barcelona's 3-1 victory at Sevilla on September 20, 2026, García Plaza stated: "It's a joke that he's not even nominated for the Ballon d'Or. He is a match-winner; that's why I don't believe in these prizes. He does everything." García Plaza further expressed puzzlement: "There are some things I can't understand in football. How is Raphinha out of the Ballon d'Or top 30?"

Coach Hansi Flick introduced Raphinha to the striker position in a pre-season friendly against Basel in mid-August, initially suggesting he would move to the wing after the first half. The experiment became permanent after Barcelona failed to complete a transfer for Atlético Madrid's Julián Álvarez. Raphinha has scored in seven of the first eight league matches, failing only against Levante—where he contributed two assists. Barcelona has won all eight matches to start the season, their best-ever eight-game opening to a campaign. Raphinha has agreed to a contract extension with Barcelona through 2030.