Raphinha and Fermin Lopez can join select Barcelona list with Rayo goal

Raphinha and Fermin Lopez are aiming to reach a milestone achieved by only a small group of Barcelona players when they face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday.

The pair have made an impressive start to the season and currently lead Barcelona’s scoring charts. Each scored twice in the 5-0 victory over Elche, before finding the net again in the 2-0 win against Athletic Club.

Another goal against Rayo Vallecano would see both players score in each of Barcelona’s opening three league matches. That would place them among the 14 players in the club’s history to have achieved the feat.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Lionel Messi was the most recent Barcelona player to complete such a run. He did so during his final season with the club in 2020-21, scoring twice against Elche in a 3-0 victory, twice in the 3-2 win over Athletic Club and once against Villarreal in a 4-0 success.

It is a notable statistic given Messi’s status as Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, with 672 goals for the club. Despite his remarkable record, he managed to score in each of Barcelona’s first three La Liga matches only once, in his final campaign in Spain.

Several other prominent forwards also achieved the feat during Barcelona’s strongest years. Samuel Eto’o scored four goals across the first three games of the 2006-07 season, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored five goals in the opening five matches of 2009-10.

Cesc Fabregas also made a fast start in 2011-12, scoring four times in Barcelona’s first four league matches.

Earlier players to score in each of the first three games before ending their run included Angel Arocha in 1930-31, Josep Samitier in 1931-32, Josep Maria Fuste in 1963-64 and Pedro Zaballa in 1966-67.

Bernd Schuster repeated the achievement in 1981-82, followed by Hristo Stoichkov in 1990-91 and Luis Enrique in 2002-03.

Ladislao Kubala went beyond the three-match mark in 1953-54, scoring in each of Barcelona’s first four league fixtures. Cayetano Re matched that record during the 1964-65 campaign.

The club’s longest opening scoring sequence is shared by Cesar Rodriguez and Ibrahimovic. Rodriguez scored in Barcelona’s first three matches in 1947-48, then extended his run to five games in 1950-51, when he registered nine goals in total, with a match-by-match sequence of 4-2-1-1-1.

That history provides an enticing target for Raphinha and Fermin Lopez as they look to maintain their strong start against Rayo Vallecano.

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