No one saw this coming! Raphinha takes aim at Messi’s records

Raphinha targets Lionel Messi’s seemingly impossible records after a spectacular start to the season

Lionel Messi rewrote Barcelona’s history during his time at Camp Nou, setting records that still appear almost impossible to equal. The Argentine dominated La Liga and the Champions League, scored at an extraordinary rate and raised individual standards to a level unmatched by any other great player of his generation.

However, Raphinha has begun the 2026-27 season in exceptional form. The Brazil international has scored 8 goals in his first 5 appearances across all competitions and has adapted brilliantly to playing through the middle for Barcelona. Deployed as a No. 9 following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, the Brazilian has become the Catalan club’s main attacking threat.

Barcelona failed to sign Julián Álvarez during the summer, but Raphinha’s explosive start has eased the pressure on the club’s hierarchy. It is far too early to draw any definitive comparisons, although the Brazilian’s scoring rate has brought 7 of Lionel Messi’s most spectacular records back into focus.

The incredible 21-match scoring streak

Ronaldo Nazário set an impressive La Liga record during the 1996-97 season by scoring in 10 consecutive matches. The Brazilian striker’s achievement stood until 2012-13, when Lionel Messi raised the record to a previously unimaginable level.

The Argentine scored in 21 successive league appearances, more than doubling the previous record. What made the run even more extraordinary was that Messi scored against all 19 of Barcelona’s opponents that season.

No other player in the history of Europe’s leading leagues has come close to matching that achievement. Raphinha has scored in each of his first 4 matches of the current La Liga campaign, meaning he would need to find the net in another 18 consecutive appearances to surpass the former Barcelona captain.

The task appears almost impossible, but his perfect start allows the Brazilian to dream.

Barcelona’s record for goals in a Champions League campaign

Lionel Messi sits 2nd in the Champions League’s all-time scoring charts and found the net more than 100 times in Europe’s premier club competition. His record for a single campaign is nevertheless more attainable than many of the extraordinary records he established in Spain.

The Argentine scored 14 goals for Barcelona during the 2011-12 season. That remains the highest total recorded by a Barcelona player in a single Champions League campaign, although it only ranks joint 7th among the competition’s most prolific individual seasons.

Raphinha began the current European campaign with 2 goals. Barcelona still have 7 league-phase fixtures remaining, with Sabah, Galatasaray, Sporting and Como among their opponents. The Brazilian should therefore have plenty of opportunities to move closer to Messi’s landmark before the knockout rounds begin.

The expanded format gives attacking players more matches and more opportunities to score. Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record of 17 goals for Real Madrid in 2013-14 could consequently be broken within the next few years. If Raphinha maintains his current form, he could emerge as one of the contenders.

The WhoScored average that underlined Messi’s dominance

Lionel Messi’s remarkable consistency is also reflected in the ratings produced by WhoScored’s statistical algorithm. The Argentine recorded an average score above 8.00 in every season between 2009-10 and 2020-21.

That run of 12 campaigns demonstrates the extraordinary level at which the former Barcelona star performed. Lamine Yamal was the only La Liga player to average above 8.00 last season, finishing with a rating of 8.23. Even that figure was lower than Messi’s worst average during the period, which was 8.34 in 2013-14.

The Argentine’s highest average was 8.88, recorded during the 2011-12 campaign. To challenge that record, Raphinha would need to maintain an exceptional level of performance throughout the entire season.

The Brazilian currently has an average rating of 8.72 after the opening matches of the 2026-27 campaign. The gap is relatively small, but the real challenge will be maintaining and even improving that standard across Barcelona’s remaining 34 league fixtures.

The 50 goals scored in a single La Liga campaign

The 2011-12 season represented the peak of Lionel Messi’s goalscoring output. The Argentine superstar struck 50 times in La Liga, establishing a record that has never been broken in Spain or any of Europe’s other 4 major leagues.

Raphinha currently leads the European scoring charts after finding the net 6 times in only 4 league appearances. He is averaging 1.5 goals per match, a rate that would produce a total of 57 goals if maintained across all 38 fixtures.

Such a projection must be treated with caution because it is based on a very small sample size. The Brazilian’s form could dip, injuries could disrupt his momentum, opponents may adapt their defensive strategies and Barcelona’s schedule will become considerably more demanding.

Nevertheless, scoring 6 goals at the beginning of the campaign has given Raphinha an important head start. To move anywhere near Messi’s record, the forward must maintain his current goalscoring form throughout the entire season.

The record of 8 La Liga hat-tricks in a single season

Lionel Messi’s 50 league goals in 2011-12 included numerous matches in which the Argentine scored at least 3 times. He completed that La Liga campaign with 8 hat-tricks, a record that still stands.

Raphinha has yet to register a hat-trick in the current league season, meaning he has plenty of ground to make up. His new position at centre-forward could nevertheless provide him with more opportunities than during the campaigns in which he operated predominantly on the wing.

The Brazilian also benefits from the support of an extremely creative attacking unit. Anthony Gordon, Lamine Yamal, Fermín López and Pedri can create chances for him and open up space in the final third. If Barcelona continue to dominate matches so convincingly, Raphinha should receive enough chances to register several hat-tricks.

Matching Messi’s 8 hat-tricks remains one of the most difficult challenges on this list.

Scoring in 27 matches during the same league campaign

Lionel Messi did not set the record for scoring in the most matches during the campaign in which he reached 50 goals. That achievement came in 2012-13, when Barcelona reclaimed the title from José Mourinho’s Real Madrid.

The Catalan side accumulated 100 points and equalled the record set by their great rivals 1 year earlier. Messi once again played a decisive role, scoring in 27 of Barcelona’s 38 La Liga matches.

This record rewards consistency rather than simply the total number of goals. A striker can register several braces and hat-tricks and finish the campaign with an outstanding tally without finding the net often enough to threaten the Argentine’s achievement.

Raphinha has found the net in each of his first 4 league appearances this season. To overtake Messi, the Brazilian must score in at least 24 of Barcelona’s remaining 34 fixtures. The target is not entirely unrealistic, although it will largely depend on him avoiding injuries and retaining his place in the starting line-up.

The landmark of 73 goals across all competitions

The most remarkable record on this list also comes from the 2011-12 season. Lionel Messi added goals in the Champions League, Copa del Rey and other competitions to his La Liga tally, finishing the campaign with an astonishing total of 73.

That remains the highest number of goals ever scored by a player in a single season in European football. Messi’s total was 7 goals higher than the previous marks set by Ferenc Deák in Hungary during the 1940s and Gerd Müller in Germany during the 1970s.

Raphinha has registered 8 goals in his first 5 appearances across all competitions. His average of 1.6 goals per game would put him on course for approximately 80 goals if he played 50 matches and maintained the same rate.

The numbers currently make him look like a contender, but maintaining such a scoring rate across an entire season is considerably more difficult. The Brazilian must cope with a demanding schedule, avoid fitness problems and remain the leading scorer in a team blessed with numerous attacking options.

Breaking the 73-goal record appears to be an almost impossible mission. Raphinha’s start has nevertheless been spectacular enough to bring Lionel Messi’s historic achievements back into the spotlight.