Barcelona news : Raphinha surpasses Lionel Messi La Liga mark after Ballon d'Or snub

Raphinha's extraordinary start to the new season has carried him beyond a Lionel Messi benchmark at Barcelona, with only Cristiano Ronaldo having scored more goals after seven La Liga rounds this century.

The Brazilian captain scored all three goals in Barcelona's 3-1 victory away to Sevilla on Saturday, extending Hansi Flick's side's perfect league record.

It was Raphinha's second hat-trick in successive matches following his treble against Racing Santander.

Those six goals have taken him to 12 in only seven La Liga appearances this season, alongside 14 goals and three assists across all competitions.

According to Opta, no player other than Ronaldo has scored more after seven rounds of a La Liga campaign in the 21st century.

Messi registered 11 at the same stage in 2017-18, having previously reached 10 in 2011.

Ronaldo remains ahead of both, having scored an extraordinary 13 for Real Madrid across the opening seven rounds of the 2014-15 campaign.

Raphinha this season:

⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs Sevilla
⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs Racing Santander
?️?️vs Levante
⚽️⚽️ vs Feyenoord
⚽️ vs Valencia
⚽️⚽️ vs Rayo Vallecano
⚽️ vs Athletic Club
⚽️⚽️?️ vs Elche

He has 14 goals in 8 games. pic.twitter.com/hzgrZoiwCs

The comparison illustrates the scale of Raphinha's transformation under Flick.

Barcelona's number 11 had never previously been regarded as a prolific central goalscorer, but his increasingly regular deployment through the middle has changed that perception.

Against Sevilla, he demonstrated the variety which is making him so difficult to contain.

Raphinha scored with his right foot, headed his second and completed his hat-trick with his left, producing a perfect treble as Barcelona overturned an early deficit.

He has now also recorded four La Liga hat-tricks for the club, moving beyond Neymar's total of three and also surpassing former Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o in that category.

Yet Flick continues to value more than just the goals.

The Barcelona coach has repeatedly highlighted Raphinha's pressing, leadership and willingness to defend from the front, qualities which have helped make him captain as well as the focal point of the attack.

"The level he is at is very high," Flick said after the Sevilla victory.

"He is dynamic, he is top level. The team gave him the final pass and he scored. It is a decision that we, the coaches, made to put him as a striker. He is happy playing as a centre-forward."

Flick has also backed Barcelona's attempts to secure Raphinha's long-term future, with a new contract until 2030 moving closer.

Raphinha's latest performance also revived a debate which is separate from his record-breaking start.

The 29-year-old was left off the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Sevilla head coach Luis Garcia was left questioning that decision after watching Raphinha dismantle his team.

"He isn't even nominated," Garcia said. "There are things in football that I still don't understand. I can't understand those situations."

There is an important distinction to make.

Raphinha's 12 league goals this season could not have influenced the original Ballon d'Or shortlist, which was based on performances from the previous campaign rather than events taking place after the new season had begun.

His current form therefore does not retrospectively prove that the voters were wrong.

What it does do is make his absence increasingly striking.

Raphinha is now producing numbers that place him alongside two of the greatest goalscorers in La Liga history, while simultaneously becoming the central attacking figure in a Barcelona side that has won all seven of its opening league fixtures.

His improvement has also continued beyond pure finishing.

Flick's decision to move him centrally has allowed Barcelona to use Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon from wider areas while preserving Raphinha's pressing intensity through the middle.

The immediate result has been spectacular.

After seven rounds, Messi's best 21st-century start has been surpassed.

And with Raphinha heading into the international break having scored six goals across his last two league matches, the gap between them is down to one.

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