Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona opened their 2026-27 Champions League campaign with a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord. The result placed Barcelona among the standout performers of the competition’s opening round.
The Brazilian forward has now scored eight goals and added one assist across his first five matches of the season in all competitions. He reached that tally from 13 attempts on goal, with 12 of those on target and one striking the post, according to Mundo Deportivo.
A record run not seen since 1958
Mundo Deportivo reports that no Barcelona player has scored eight goals in the opening five competitive matches of a season since Sandor Kocsis netted nine in the first five games of the 1958-59 campaign. The statistic was provided by Rac1 journalist Oriol Jovet.
Raphinha is now just two goals away from matching the combined total of ten he scored across his previous two seasons at the club. His personal target is to surpass the 34-goal single-season record he set in 2024-25, which was also Hansi Flick’s first season in charge.
Deco opens the door to a new deal
Raphinha signed a contract extension in May 2025 that runs until June 2028. Despite that, his explosive start to the season has prompted the club to consider moving again.
Speaking to RAC1’s programme El Mon, hosted by Jordi Basté, Barcelona sporting director Deco said the club wants to keep Raphinha long-term. Deco said the club monitors its players’ contracts closely, aims to keep wages balanced among key players of the same level, and genuinely wants Raphinha to stay at Barcelona.
Mundo Deportivo also notes that Saudi clubs made significant financial offers to Raphinha, but he chose to prioritise his happiness and that of his family in Barcelona over those approaches.
Week’s best player nominees
UEFA named four candidates for the Champions League player of the week after the opening round. The nominees are Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Marc Bartra and Ermedin Demirovic.
Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain beat Slovan Bratislava 6-1. Demirovic also scored a hat-trick as Stuttgart defeated Viking 3-1, and Bartra scored twice as Real Betis came from behind to beat Lille 3-2.
