Raphinha, Barcelona's third‑highest scorer in the Champions League
Brazilian forward Raphinha will sign this Thursday the renewal of his contract with Barcelona, ensuring his continuity at the Catalan club. With the signing, the player extends his link until 2030. The extension consolidates him as Barcelona's third‑highest historic scorer in the Champions League.
Raphinha leads the victory against Aston Villa
Raphinha is going through a very sweet spell in terms of scoring. The Brazilian kept his sharp shooting and demonstrated it again against Aston Villa on a Champions night where he was the main protagonist. His two goals in the 3‑0 victory confirmed that he is living an extraordinary period in front of goal and have allowed him to climb positions in Barcelona's Champions League scorer history. They are two consecutive braces and the third consecutive match with a goal.
His notable sporting moment will continue in the offices. Deco announced the agreement during the last Assembly of Stakeholders in September and this Thursday the signing of the new contract will be celebrated together with president Joan Laporta. Raphinha has his renewal with Barcelona locked in until 2030.
The blaugrana captain was decisive in sealing the match. He scored the second goal after receiving an excellent pass from Fermín and completed a meritorious individual action by Cancelo. Two goals raise his Champions tally with Barça to 23, the same number achieved by Robert Lewandowski, placing him as the club's third‑highest scorer, only surpassed by Leo Messi (120 goals in 149 matches) and Luis Suárez (25 goals in 55 matches). Moreover, he equaled Ronaldinho by reaching 94 goals while wearing Barcelona's shirt.
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Internal recognition and season figures
His performance does not go unnoticed inside the dressing room. Fermín López, who assisted the first goal against Aston Villa, highlighted Raphinha's importance to the team, also adding Lamine Yamal. “For us it's incredible, they help a lot. They make the difference and for us they are very important and with them we are sure we will achieve great things,” he said.
It's no surprise that Flick praises him, as he is one of his fetish players and a key piece of the project. “He is in a great moment. He is an incredible player,” he stated.
Raphinha's figures this season are 19 goals in 13 official matches. That record confirms that the Brazilian has regained his best form after the physical problems that conditioned him last season. In his new role as centre forward he shows a huge ability to appear in the box and an absolute scoring instinct. Moreover, he has not forgotten to press, make runs and play with a commendable intensity.