Numbers prove why €80m Barcelona star is the Champions League’s most lethal forward right now | OneFootball

For FC Barcelona to perform as well as they have in the UEFA Champions League this season, players have had to step up. No longer can the club rely on underperforming players to deliver results, and that is precisely what is happening now. Almost every key Barcelona player has stepped up, and some more than others.

While Pedri, for instance, was simply sensational in the previous game against SL Benfica, there have been other heroes for La Blaugrana in this ongoing campaign as well. However, almost undoubtedly, there is a certain South American forward at the club who continues to exceed all expectations.

Raphinha, the Brazilian forward who is also now a club captain at Barcelona, continues to be a man reborn in the Champions League. In terms of goals, following his game-winning brace against Benfica, he is now placed second in terms of the competition’s top scorers and is only behind Robert Lewandowski.

However, as pointed out by Mundo Deportivo, his eight goals scored in seven games are perhaps more impressive than the tallies of the competition’s other top scorers. That is because Raphinha has scored all eight of his goals from open play, whereas the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Serhou Guirassy, and Vinicius Jr have all needed penalties to score as many goal as they currently have.

Furthermore, as per MD, Raphinha has done something else that is also immensely impressive. As per advanced metrics, he is the most efficient over-performer this season across Europe’s cup competitions including the Champions League, Europa League, and the Conference League.

That is because the Barcelona forward has been outperforming his expected goals (xG) this season by a significant margin. He boasts the highest positive xG differential across all players competing in those three competitions, and that says a lot about his efficiency and quality in terms of converting his chances in Europe’s premiere competition.

Currently, he has an astonishing differential of +5.07, meaning that he has scored around five more goals than he was expected to as per advanced measurements and calculations suggesting an xG of just 2.93. Thus, his eight goals in the Champions League reflect a player who simply sees no game or no moment as too big or too difficult for him to conquer.

Moreover, his efficiency is boasted even more by the fact that almost every shot he lands on target manages to find the back of the net. With nine shots on target across this UCL campaign, Raphinha has seen eight of them find themselves nestled into the back of the net.

With these numbers and his performances in the big games, the €80 million-rated Barcelona star has proven that he has found a way to break the system itself. No limits or expectations can hold him down, and he has showcased time and time again in this competition that he has what it takes to overcome even the biggest of hurdles.