Scoring in Barcelona’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday night, Brazilian winger Raphinha has shattered a record once held by club legend Lionel Messi.
In a goal-filled first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Raphinha delivered a standout performance, scoring one goal and providing an assist as Barça fought back to secure a draw at home.
With this latest contribution, Raphinha now boasts 12 goals and 8 assists in just 13 Champions League matches this season—surpassing Messi’s 2011-2012 tally of 14 goals and 5 assists in 11 games. That gives the Brazilian 20 goal involvements, edging past Messi’s total of 19 for a single UCL campaign.
Now, with momentum on his side, Raphinha is closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time single-season record: 22 direct goal contributions for Real Madrid in the 2013-2014 campaign. The return leg in Milan could be Raphinha’s chance to match—or even eclipse—the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.