Raphinha: the best Brazilian scorer in the history of the Champions League and Barça

FC Barcelona has established itself as the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2024-2025 Champions League after decisively defeating Benfica in Montjuïc (3-1). The azulgrana team achieved victory and advanced to the next round led by a monumental Raphinha, whose double in the first 45 minutes allowed the Catalans to seal the tie early.

The Brazilian, who had already scored the winning goal in the first leg played in Lisbon, found the net again against what has been his favorite victim in the tournament. The Porto Alegre native opened the scoring in the 11th minute after a great assist from Lamine Yamal and, just before halftime, completed the rout for the blaugranas with a stunning goal following an anthology run from Alejandro Balde, who covered more than 70 meters to assist the winger.

The numbers of Raphinha in this Champions League are out of this world. The '11' culé has 11 goals in the competition, making him the top scorer of the competition ahead of Serhou Guirassy (10), Robert Lewandowski (9), and Harry Kane (9). Additionally, he ranks second in the assists ranking alongside Hakimi, Zappacosta, De Ketelaere, and Frimpong with 5 assists, only behind Kimmich (6).

⚽ UEFA Champions League 24/25 Top Scorers

1. Raphinha | FC Barcelona: 11 goals in 10 matches
2. Serhou Guirassy | Borussia Dortmund: 10 goals in 11 matches (1 goal in play-off)
3. Robert Lewandowski | FC Barcelona: 9 goals in 10 matches
4. Harry Kane | Bayern Munich: 9 goals in 11 matches (1 goal in play-off)
5. Erling Haaland | Manchester City: 8 goals in 9 matches (2 goals in play-off)
6. Ousmane Dembélé | PSG: 8 goals in 11 matches (2 goals in play-off)
7. Vangelis Pavlidis | Benfica: 7 goals in 12 matches (2 goals in play-off)
8. Julián Alvarez | Atlético: 7 goals in 9 matches
9. Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid: 7 goals in 11 matches (4 goals in play-off)
10. Vinicius Jr. | Real Madrid: 7 goals in 9 matches

Raphinha is already a part of Champions and Barça history

The South American star has participated in 16 goals in the Champions League, being the player with the most G/A in the competition. In fact, after the double scored against Benfica this Tuesday, 'Rapha' became the third Brazilian to score ten goals in a single Champions season with Barça, behind Rivaldo, who reached this figure in 1999/2000, and Neymar, who did so in 2014/15, and the first to surpass ten goals.

In total, the Porto Alegre native has 14 goals in the 22 matches he has played in the Champions League since his debut in 2022 with Barça, tying with Ronaldo and Adriano in the historical ranking of top Brazilian scorers in the tournament. The next goal for the '11' azulgrana will be to catch up with Roberto Carlos, who scored 16 goals in the 120 matches he played in the competition.

If he maintains his current level, Raphinha has the chance to enter the top-10 of the highest Brazilian scorers in the championship. The tenth position in the ranking is held by Luiz Adriano, who celebrated 21 goals in 47 matches, 'only' 7 more than the FC Barcelona winger, who continues to carve his path in the golden books of the top club competition.

⚽ The 10 most prolific Brazilian scorers in the UEFA Champions League 24/25

1. Neymar (Barcelona, Paris): 43
2. Kaká (Real Madrid, AC Milan): 30
3. Rivaldo (Barcelona, AC Milan, Olympiacos): 27
4. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid): 26
5. Rodrygo (Real Madrid): 25
6. Giovane Elber (Bayern Munich, Lyon): 25
7. Jardel (Porto, Galatasaray): 25
8. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City, Arsenal): 24
9. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool): 22
10. Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar, Spartak Moskva): 21