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Raphinha is loving life playing as Barcelona’s center forward, matching clubs’s record mark for most goals scored through eight games in a season. Still, the Brazilian confessed he originally “had doubts” about switching to his new position.
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After failing to sign an elite striker reinforcement-namely Julián Alvarez-to replace the departing Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, it was anyone’s guess who was going to lead the line for Barcelona when the season started.
The answer? Raphinha. Concerns have since evaporated emphatically. Now, the most in-form center forward in world soccer shared details to Rac+1 about how his transition from winger to striker materialized.
“We had that game against Basel [in preseason],” Raphinha said. “I don’t remember training as a No. 9 really, but during the game the manager told me I would play as a No. 9 and then he would switch me to the wing. I said ‘no problem, I’ll do whatever I have to do’ and that was it. I played there and then he moved me to the left wing in the second half.
De locos lo de @Raphinha_11b. @FCBarcelona_es | LALIGAHighlights pic.twitter.com/H8pmFvQ7yJ
– LALIGA (@LaLiga) September 22, 2026
“I remember before the start of La Liga we were training and I was the striker with Anthony [Gordon] left and Lamine [Yamal] right, and the manager asked me if I felt comfortable, if I wanted to switch back to my position and have Anthony as the No. 9.
“I told him I was fine and that if anything happened during the game we could always change. And the reality is that I did really good, so he didn’t ask for a change.”
Raphinha scored twice in Barça’s opening day victory against Elche. He’s since scored a brace in three other games to go along with two hat-tricks on his way to carving his name in the club’s history books.
Raphinha Matches 78-Year Barcelona Record
Most Goals Through Eight Games to Start a Season in Barça History
| Player | Goals | Season |
|---|---|---|
| César Rodríguez | 14 | 1948–1949 |
| Raphinha | 14 | 2026–27 |
| Mariano Martín | 12 | 1943–44 |
| César Rodríguez | 12 | 1950–51 |
| Lionel Messi | 12 | 2017–18 |
With 14 goals through eight games in all competitions this season, Raphinha now co-owns the greatest goalscoring start of the season by a Barcelona player in history, a record previously set by club legend César Rodríguez. Seventy-eight years ago, he had a cracking start to the 1978–79 term.
Lionel Messi’s best mark was 12 goals to start the 2017–18 campaign, something Mariano Martín and Rodríguez also achieved back in the mid-20th century. What Raphinha is producing has been rarely seen in club history.
But his brilliance extends outside of Barcelona. His 12 goals through seven La Liga games is the second best mark this century, only bested by Cristiano Ronaldo’s 13 in 2014–15. Messi’s high-mark was 11 to start 2017–18.
Raphinha Had Doubts But Trusted Hansi Flick
Despite the evident success, Raphinha also admitted he had his doubts about moving to center forward, aware of the expectations and also the player he was stepping in to replace.
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“Yes, I had doubts,” Raphinha revealed to Rac+1 when asked about his transition to striker. “Because people judge you for goals, at the end of the day, you’re playing as a striker. And then there’s the fact that you’re playing in the spot where the one and only Robert Lewandowski played.
“So if you don’t score goals, people judge you for that, they demand that from you.”
In the end though, Raphinha trusted Flick, the manager who convinced him to stay at Barcelona when he arrived two summers ago. Trusting the German boss has worked again for the 29-year-old Brazilian.
“I’ve always said it and I will always say it, he’s the manager that changed both my mentality within the club and also what I thought about myself,” Raphinha told DAZN about Flick. “I’m very grateful for him, and I will demonstrate it whenever I can.”
Hansi Flick Showers Praise on ‘Top’ Raphinha
Flick’s decision to move Raphinha to striker is looking like a stroke of genius right now, and the manager emphatically praised his new captain while also detailing why he decided to make him Barça’s new striker.
“We know the quality of Raphinha,” Flick said after Barcelona’s win vs. Sevilla. “We are very happy about him. He gives us a lot, his dynamic is top but also without the ball he’s good. Today, the team gave him the last pass and he made it happen for us, so it’s good.
“But in the end it’s always a decision of the coaches. So we discussed who can play in this position and also then we speak with the players. I think also after these numbers, after these eight games, he’s very happy to play as a No. 9.”
The German manager also described Raphinha becoming Barcelona’s captain as “the best decision,” calling him “the perfect captain” for what he does on and off the pitch, with and without the ball.
Immersed in the greatest stretch of his career, Raphinha is also reportedly close to signing a contract extension with the Catalans. Despite getting snubbed from the 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees list, life is good for Raphinha, who is playing like the best in the world since his switch to striker.
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This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 12:30 PM.