Throughout history, many players have managed to turn their careers around and reach performance levels that once seemed out of reach. But what Raphinha is doing this season is unprecedented. Just a few months ago, he had the “for sale” sign around his neck, ready to leave Barcelona… and last night, he reached Leo Messi’s level in the Champions League.

Raphinha Matches Messi’s Best Champions League Season

It wasn’t even one of Raphinha’s best performances this season, yet he played a key role in three of the four goals Barcelona scored against Borussia Dortmund, practically sealing the tie and fueling hopes of reaching the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2018/19 season. To put it into perspective, only four teams in Champions League history have come back from a first-leg loss of three goals or more.

With his goal to open the scoring, plus two assists to Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in the second half, Raphinha has now been involved in 50 goals this season. These numbers are currently only surpassed in Europe’s top five leagues by Mohamed Salah. However, 19 of those 50 goal involvements have come in the current Champions League campaign. To appreciate what Raphinha is doing, he’s matched Leo Messi’s best Champions League season with Barcelona, which dates back to the 2011/12 campaign.

Raphinha: Star Numbers with the Work Rate of a Rookie

Raphinha’s Champions League contributions include 12 goals and 7 assists. These stats make him the current leader in both categories... and he’s now the first player in Champions League history to score more than 10 goals and register over 5 assists in a single campaign. His numbers are world-class, yet he runs like a young player fighting to earn a spot on his dream team. In fact, he’s the third Barcelona player to cover the most distance in the Champions League this season, behind only Pedri and Koundé.

If a few months ago you had told Barcelona fans that Raphinha would be just one goal away from surpassing Leo Messi’s best-ever Champions League season, with at least one match still to go, no one would’ve believed it. However, thanks to hard work and sacrifice, Raphinha has completely turned his situation around — to the point where people are beginning to ask whether he might be the player to finally bring a Ballon d'Or back to Brazil, nearly 20 years later.