Raphinha targets historic five-game scoring run after Valencia strike

Raphinha strengthened his place among Barcelona’s great early-season scorers by taking his La Liga tally to six goals in four matches, matching a landmark achieved by Lionel Messi.

The Brazil international scored Barcelona’s third goal against Valencia at Mestalla, completing a remarkable opening to the campaign and moving level with Messi for the number of goals scored across the club’s first four league games of a season.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Raphinha is only the second player in the 21st century to score six times in his team’s opening four La Liga matches in a single season. Messi reached the same figure twice during his Barcelona career.

Messi scored six goals in his first four league appearances in both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. Raphinha has now matched that achievement several years later, underlining the strength of his attacking start with the Catalan club.

His scoring sequence began with two goals against Elche. He then found the net against Athletic Club before scoring another brace against Rayo Vallecano. The goal at Mestalla completed the run and lifted him to six for the season.

That total also put Raphinha alone at the top of the La Liga scoring charts, one goal ahead of Camilo, the Rayo Vallecano forward.

Raphinha’s immediate challenge is now to extend the run rather than simply celebrate matching Messi’s record. He will be targeting a goal in Barcelona’s fifth consecutive league match, a feat achieved for the club in La Liga only by Cesar Rodriguez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The comparison with Messi places Raphinha in an exceptional section of Barcelona’s history, although his achievement has come through a different sequence of matches and circumstances. His current record has been built through goals against Elche, Athletic Club, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, with particularly decisive contributions in the victories over Elche and Rayo Vallecano.

The Mestalla goal was therefore significant on two levels. It helped Barcelona complete the scoring against Valencia, while also ensuring that Raphinha reached the six-goal mark required to join Messi’s select list.

With four matches played, Raphinha has already established himself as the leading scorer in La Liga and has given Barcelona another attacking player capable of producing decisive moments regularly. His next appearance will provide the opportunity to claim a record that, according to the report, has previously belonged to Cesar Rodriguez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Barcelona’s league history.

For now, his six-goal start remains level with Messi’s best equivalent beginnings in 2012-13 and 2013-14. The prospect of a fifth consecutive scoring game gives Raphinha the chance to move beyond that comparison and create another landmark of his own.