Messi territory! Raphinha matches an incredible La Liga achievement
Raphinha is putting up numbers that once seemed reserved for Lionel Messi.
Details: Barcelona's Brazilian forward scored twice in the 6-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves on October 31, taking his tally to 15 goals after the opening 11 La Liga matchdays of the 2026/27 season. Remarkably, Lionel Messi had exactly the same number of goals at this stage of the 2012/13 campaign.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the eighth minute after an excellent combination involving Pedri and Fermin Lopez. The Brazilian struck again in the 41st minute, completing his brace before half-time and helping Barcelona establish a commanding 4-0 lead.
The achievement puts Raphinha alongside the legendary Argentine in an impressive statistical ranking. Messi scored 15 goals across Barcelona's opening 11 league matches in 2012/13, and the Brazilian has now repeated that remarkable start 14 years later.
Barcelona's emphatic victory also featured a brace from Lamine Yamal, while Fermin Lopez and Anthony Gordon added a goal each. Hansi Flick's team reached 30 points after 11 matches, maintaining their position at the top of the Spanish championship.
It is worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo produced an even more prolific start in the 2014/15 La Liga season, scoring 18 goals after 11 matchdays. Meanwhile, Raphinha has reached his tally of 15 goals in just ten personal league appearances this campaign.
Reminder: Bad news for Barcelona. Raphinha risks another injury
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
