The move from the wing to the middle helped Ousmane Dembele assume his final form as an unstoppable force in the 2024-25 season and win the Ballon d’Or.
A similar shift from the flanks to the central spaces as a No. 9 appears to have unleashed a turbocharged version of Raphinha at Barcelona this season. The Brazil international has exploded in his new role, scoring 14 goals in eight matches, 12 in seven games in LaLiga, moving to the top of the scoring charts ahead of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.
The striker hunt
Barcelona had spent the close season searching for a centre-forward after Robert Lewandowski left as a free agent for Major League Soccer, with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez and Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez high on its list. The summer chase for Alvarez, which developed into a messy saga, ended in frustration for Barcelona, leaving the club short up front.
Barcelona eventually signed Gabriel Jesus as a rotational option for Hansi Flick’s squad, but the surprise solution has come from within, with Raphinha moving from his hybrid attacking midfielder-right wing role into the centre-forward position.
“The idea was to bring in a forward with good movement and the ability to link up with others, and Julian [Alvarez] was one such player,” said Barcelona sporting director Deco.
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“We are happy because we discovered a new face of Raphinha. But more important is that he’s happy too. It is different for him, because sometimes he’s not in contact with the ball all the time like he used to. He needs to be prepared to attack behind the defenders. We expected that he could do well, but not at this level,” Deco added.
Indeed, the change in Raphinha’s fortunes at Barcelona has been sudden and spectacular. He was convinced he was leaving two years ago after growing increasingly frustrated under Xavi Hernandez. But Flick’s arrival as coach in 2024 proved a turning point: Raphinha, who has thrived under the German, was appointed captain at the start of the season after Ronald Araujo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen left the club and Frenkie de Jong was sidelined by a knee injury.
Selling a dummy: Raphinha wrongfoots his marker before scoring the first goal of his hat-trick against Sevilla.
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In his first conversation with Raphinha, Flick had told the attacker that he believed in his talent. The start of this season has revealed the extent of the coach’s belief. Flick had an idea that the 29-year-old’s strengths would translate well from the wing to the centre. More to the point, he had the conviction to back his belief.
“In pre-season we did a few tests: the manager liked what he saw and told me a bit about his idea,” Raphinha told the Guardian. “The adaptation came over the last two years, getting used to coming inside, closer to goal. But we tested [me as] an actual No. 9 and it went well.
“There’s the occasional detail that has to be explained, but I’m OK. Before Elche [on the opening day], he asked if I was comfortable there or wanted to go back to my position. I said it was fine, see how it goes, we can always change back.”
Scoring at will
There has been no reason to change. With 31 goals in seven straight league wins — that’s an average of 4.3 goals per match — Barcelona has the hottest attack in Europe, and Raphinha has led the charge in blistering fashion, scoring at will, including back-to-back hat-tricks.
The second of those came in Barcelona’s biggest test of the season so far, at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in the final league fixture before the international break. With his side down a goal to Sevilla after 19 minutes, Raphinha responded in style. He scored a perfect hat-trick, applying three different finishes. All of them would have made the game’s top No. 9s proud, for they showcased his skill, instinct, speed and sheer desire to score.
The first goal featured a diagonal in-to-out run onto Andreas Christensen’s pass, a tricky feint that put his chasing marker on the ground, and a right-footed finish to the far corner. For the second, he burst out of the defender’s blindside to head a Yamal floater expertly. He chipped the keeper off his stronger left foot for the third, this time after an out-to-in run.
“We know the quality of Raphinha,” Flick said after the game. “He gives us a lot, his dynamic is top but also without the ball he’s good. He has that incredible hunger and intensity, the mentality and attitude we need. After these eight games, I think he’s very happy to play as a No. 9.”
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Interestingly, for someone who has taken to the job like a duck to water, Raphinha wasn’t sure at the beginning. “Yes, I had doubts,” Raphinha told Rac+1 when asked about the transition. “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.”
Brothers in arms: Raphinha has enjoyed combining with the prodigious Lamine Yamal.
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The former Leeds United forward, who joined Barcelona in 2022, has now scored 89 goals in 185 appearances for the Blaugrana, which places him among the top 30 scorers in the club’s history. He needs just five more goals to equal the legendary Ronaldinho.
Tellingly, 69 of Raphinha’s Barcelona goals have come under Flick, who has led the Catalans to LaLiga titles in each of his two seasons. “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. “I’m very grateful for him, and I will demonstrate it whenever I can.”
What lies ahead
It’s no surprise that the player wants to extend his stay at the club. “Given the way I’ve started the season, I think I can keep going for a few more years. I’m in spectacular physical shape so [retirement] is some way off. I would be very happy to extend my contract and, hopefully, finish my career here without having to go elsewhere,” Raphinha told RAC1 radio.
“It’s always important to keep in mind that you need to improve in some areas. I’ll never say I’m at my peak, because I always try to improve as much as I can. There’s surely something more I can contribute to the team than what I’m currently giving.”
It will be interesting to see just how Raphinha’s time at No. 9 plays out. Will he have a season for the ages like Dembele did and maybe even enjoy a late-career swing as an elite striker? Or will it be no more than a short-term fix, even if it is successful? All we know for sure is that Raphinha, like he has through his career, will give it everything.
