Barcelona captain within touching distance of Vinicius Junior’s numbers from last season | OneFootball

There is a clear gap between the Barcelona that plays in La Liga and the one that plays in other competitions. Whereas the Catalan giants have completely broken down in the league, they continue to soar high in all other competitions. Most recently, Barcelona managed to ensure a major triumph once again.

Beating SL Benfica in Lisbon to guarantee their place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Barcelona took part in one of the season’s most entertaining games. However, within that victory, there was a certain player who deserves special praise.

Raphinha, one of the captains of the team and undoubtedly one of their star performers this season, ended the game with a brace. While the first goal may have been the luckiest goal that the Brazilian will probably ever score, the second was a complete showcase of his drive and desire to never give up.

While that last-minute goal gave Barcelona all three points, it also means something much more significant as well from an individual standpoint.

As highlighted by SPORT, following that brace, the Barcelona forward is now in touching distance of a certain compatriots’ numbers from last season that got him a massive Ballon d’Or challenge and won him The Best FIFA Men’s Player award as well.

That player is none other than Vinicius Jr, with the Brazilian winger having scored 25 goals last season and having provided 10 assists for Real Madrid. As for Raphinha, he has already scored 22 goals and provided 9 assists this season for Barcelona, despite it only being January.

With months of competition left to play, there is a great chance that he surpasses the numbers produced by Vinicius Jr last season, and ends up overtaking them significantly if things continue at this rate.

Moreover, Raphinha has scored in every single competition as well, having found the net 11 times in La Liga, 8 times in the Champions League, once in the Copa del Rey, and twice in the Spanish Super Cup.

Considering his contributions to the team, not only is he a great asset to himself on an individual level, but is also immensely important to the team’s collective progress. If he ultimately ends up helping the team win more silverware this season, he might not be the only player from Barcelona in the top rankings of the Ballon d’Or.