The brutal data that speaks of Raphinha's scoring effectiveness this season in the Champions League

If there was a constant complaint during the first two seasons of Raphinha as a player for FC Barcelona, it was his limited ability to stand out as a goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League, a tournament where the Porto Alegre native was always subject to criticism. And how could he not be?

In his initial seasons as a player for Barcelona, Raphinha participated in a total of 12 matches in the UEFA Champions League, scoring only three goals. Interestingly, these goals came in the last two matches of the 2023-24 season in this tournament, both in the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain. He scored twice in the first leg, in Barcelona's 2-3 victory at Parc des Princes, and another goal in the second leg at Montjuïc, in Barça's defeat against the Parisians (1-4).

However, in the current 2024-25 season, all those complaints have been definitively forgotten. Why? Because Raphinha has shown himself to be completely unleashed in terms of scoring in the UEFA Champions League, scoring a total of six goals in six matches (475 minutes played), with an impressive average of one goal per game and a goal every 79 minutes.

The statistic that speaks of Raphinha's brutal goalscoring efficiency in the Champions League

Furthermore, a recent stat has emerged highlighting how well Raphinha is doing in terms of scoring in this 2024-25 season of the UEFA Champions League with its new format. With his goal against Borussia Dortmund, which came in the 52nd minute after a great assist from Dani Olmo, who with an exceptional through pass managed to break through the defensive wall of 'BVB', leaving the '11' completely alone.

'Rapha' took advantage of the amount of free space he had to embark on a lethal run that ended with him beating Gregor Kobel with a crossed left-footed shot, thus increasing a statistic that speaks very well of his goalscoring efficiency.

The control and pass by 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒊 𝑶𝒍𝒎𝒐.
The run and finish by 𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒂.

Barça is already leading in Dortmund. 🔴🔵#UCL #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/aWkk4qc5Sr

— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) December 11, 2024

Raphinha is 'on fire' with Barcelona

So far, Raphinha has taken a total of six shots on target with successful direction in the UEFA Champions League: one against BSC Young Boys, three against Bayern Munich, one against Red Star Belgrade, none against Stade Brestois, and one against Borussia Dortmund. Out of these six attempts, he has converted all six into goals, displaying a 100% efficiency rate in shots on target.

This only confirms the great moment that Raphinha is going through, who is currently experiencing his best season as a player for FC Barcelona. In total, across all competitions, he has scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists, establishing himself as one of the main offensive references of the club and a true leader in the dressing room, becoming one of the standout players in this new era under the guidance of Hansi Flick as the coach.