New Delhi: It was a fantastic performance by Barcelona who finally took their revenge, beating Bayern 4-1 last night. Hansi Flick and Barcelona are on a mission this season, and after a disappointing start to their Champion League campaign, the Catalan side has finally picked themselves up to win their last two fixtures to move up to 10th place. Their recent success has been marked by phenomenal performances by the Barcelona players, as they have been prolific going up front, and every department has looked steady so far.
We talk about the comeback of Robert Lewandowski, who has showed dazzling form so far, both in the league where he has already scored 12 times, while in Europe, he has scored twice so far, including last nights finish against his former club Bayern Munich to seal a dominant win for Barcelona. However, the star of the show was his attack partner, Raphinha, who has been on fire ever since the season started. In the game against Bayern, the Brazilian winger showed his class by scoring a wonderful hattrick against the Bavarian giants.
Raphinha has had a strong start to his campaign, with 15 goal contributions in all contributions for the Catalan side. He has been in a sizzling hot form this season, but it wasn’t the case in the initial stages of his career at Barcelona.
Turbulent times for Raphinha
Well deserved, Raphinha! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/PW7XwQWKEl
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 24, 2024
Since making his move from English side Leeds United, after having a strong season with them having 14 goal contributions for the relegation threatened side, Raphinha joined the Spanish giants in the montjh of July of 2022. The winger has had his fair share of ups and downs with the Catalan side, as in his debut season, Raphinha managed a respectable 10 goal contributions for. However, the 2023/24 season was the one where the Brazilian had the chance to showcase his ability after a season which helped him settle into the system of the team and Spanish football.
However, last season was rather underwhelming for the promising Brazilian, as he made 28 league appearances, scoring just six times for the Catalan side. There were reports that also suggested that he might not be happy at the club, and an exit might be nearing. Last season also saw him missing a few games due to minor injuries that took him out for a total of 58 days, where he missed 14 games for both club and country. Although Barcelona came second last season, it was surely wasn’t the best season they have had and for Raphinha’s personal records, he had nine goal contributions throughout the season.
A phenomenal start to the season
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
Raphinha now has 15 goal involvements (9 ⚽️ & 6 🅰️) in 13 appearances for Barcelona this season — last season, it took him 29 appearances to record 15 goal involvements for the club.
Hansi Flick changed his life! 📈 pic.twitter.com/OTWXUPA0ti
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) October 23, 2024
Barcelona have been class this season, as they have managed to lose just one of their league games this season so far, and they sit top of the table with 27 points on the board. Besides the exceptional individual performances from Lewandowski and the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, the Brazilian winger Raphinha has had a wonderful influence on this Barca side. The 27-year-old has already hit the same number of goal contributions that he had in the previous two seasons.
The Brazilian kicked his scoring charts this season with a fantastic hattrick against Real Valladolid, in a game where Hansi Flisk’s side destroyed their opponents 7-0. However, he is also playing a massive role in Barca’s Champions League campaign, and his recent hattrick against Bayern Munich proved how good he has been so far. He scored the opening goal in the very first minute of the game with a left footed strike, beating Manuel Neuer to make it 1-0 for Barca. His then scored his second right before the first half ended, following it up with 56th minute goal to complete his first ever hattrick in the Champions League.
He opened his account for the Champions League season earlier this season against Young Boys, where he scored one and also assisted Robert Lewandowski’s goal, as Barca thrashed the Swiss side 4-0 to get their first win after opening day defeat against AS Monaco.
