Through the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, there's been one player that's stood out above the rest this season in Europe's biggest competition: Raphinha.
Raphinha, the player that many Barcelona fans wanted gone last summer in favor of a move for Nico Williams, is now spearheading Barça's first Champions League semifinals charge of the decade.
Raphinha opened the scoring and then had two second half assists in Barça's 4–0 dismantling of Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. The goal upped his season's tally in the competition to 12 and the two assists saw his total rise to seven, he leads both departments, by himself, in the Champions League this season.
Raphinha's 19 Champions League goal involvements in 2024-25 are already historic. The Brazilian equaled Lionel Messi's record for most Champions League goal involvements in a single season, set by the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in the 2011-12 season.






