With his goal for Barcelona against Inter Milan, Raphinha matched a historic Champions League record held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Raphinha has been one of the breakout stars of the 2024–25 season, helping FC Barcelona reestablish themselves as one of the most competitive teams in the world. The Brazilian winger added to his stellar campaign with a goal against Inter Milan, matching a unique Champions League record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Inter hosted Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal and jumped out to a 2–0 lead by halftime. However, Barça rallied in the second half to finish with a dramatic 3–3 draw to take the game to extra time, with Raphinha finding the net in the 87th minute to help secure the result.
With that goal, Raphinha became the second player in history to record 22 goal involvements in a single Champions League season. Across 14 appearances in this year’s tournament, he has tallied 13 goals and 9 assists—tying the mark set by Ronaldo during the 2013–14 campaign.
Ronaldo set the record with 17 goals and 5 assists in just 11 games under the previous Champions League format. That season culminated in Real Madrid’s long-awaited “La Décima”—their 10th Champions League title.
The difference between the two player’s records is that, while Raphinha matched the same number of goal contributions, it took him 14 matches under the expanded format, giving him more opportunities than the Portuguese legend.
Raphinha and renewed confidence at Barcelona
Raphinha has emerged as a legitimate Ballon d’Or contender—not just for his numbers, but for the key role he has played in Barcelona’s resurgence. The turnaround in his form is partly attributed to the confidence instilled in him by head coach Hansi Flick. In contrast, Raphinha previously voiced frustration over his role under former manager Xavi Hernández.
“I felt like the coaching staff didn’t have any confidence in me. When there was no other, I was there and I played 90 minutes. I gave everything I could give and had an impact on games, but when there was another who could play in my place, they picked them without even thinking about it,” he said in an interview with Isabela Pagliari’s YouTube channel.
The arrival of Flick ahead of the 2024–25 campaign marked a fresh start in the Spanish club. When asked about his approach to players, Raphinha had nothing but praise for the German boss: “He is someone who looks out for all the players, those that are playing and those that are not playing.”
