Raphinha likened to Lionel Messi as he joins elite club with Cristiano Ronaldo after Barcelona hat-trick
Yesterday at 06:07 PM
Raphinha was the star of the show as he bagged a stunning hat-trick in Barcelona’s 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich.
The Brazilian was the standout man for Hansi Flick’s side as he took his tally to seven goals and eight assists for the season so far.
Scoring three against Bayern Munich is no small feat and the winger becomes just the fourth player to score a Champions League hat-trick against the German giants.
The others? Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
For Bayern Munich, it was a night to forget.
Harry Kane scored to level the match in the first half having earlier seen saw an effort get ruled out for offside.
Defeat means that Bayern have lost three consecutive away matches in the Champions League for the first time in their history.
But for Raphinha, it was very much a night to remember.
Responding to his performance on social media, fans couldn’t get enough.
One fan said: “I'm absolutely speechless man, Raphinha's putting in the best individual performance I've seen from a Barca player since Messi.”
Another said: “Saying it right now, Raphinha has been FC Barcelona‘s most clutch player ever since Messi’s departure. He ALWAYS steps up in the big games.”
While a third wrote: “Raphinha has turned in to Prime Messi today.”
For Raphinha it’s been a huge journey since leaving Leeds United two years ago.
The Brazilian spent two years at Elland Road but left for the Camp Nou after helping the Whites avoid relegation in 2022.
Regularly tipped as a player who could be sold by the Catalan giants, Raphinha has been named as captain in five of the last six games under Flick.
Since joining the club for £49million, the 27-year-old has scored 26 goals and provided 33 assists in 100 appearances for the club.
His next will come in the biggest game of all as Barcelona prepare to take on Real Madrid this Saturday in El Clasico.
