Raphinha continues to make waves with Barcelona after an indifferent first couple of seasons after swapping Leeds United for the Nou Camp – and Bruno Lage has had his say.
It is approaching three years since Leeds and Barcelona agreed a £55m fee that would see the Brazil international move to the Spanish giants, having played a huge part in keeping Leeds in the top tier.
His entire Leeds spell was summed up in his final game, a 2-1 away win at Brentford that saw Leeds survive by the skin of their teeth. He won a penalty, scored it and celebrated with fans in the away end.
Raphinha did okay in his first couple of seasons at Barcelona, scoring 20 goals and laying on 15 assists in 87 games for the Spanish giants. But this season, Raphinha has gone up two or three levels at Barcelona.
Benfica manager Bruno Lage raves about Leeds icon Raphinha
It comes after having a hand in 29 goals in his 67 Leeds games. But this season, Raphinha’s numbers are reaching levels that are putting him in and among the best players in world football at the moment.
He’s scored a whopping 25 goals this season, laying on 18 assists in just 40 appearances. Barcelona face Benfica tonight, with Raphinha scoring the only goal of the game in the first leg despite having 10 men.
Ahead of the second leg at the Nou Camp, Benfica manager Bruno Lage – who faced Raphinha as Wolves manager – thinks the 31-time Brazil star is in with a shout of winning this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
“He’s a player who’s had an interesting career. I knew him when he played for Sporting and also when he was at Leeds. I think he’s doing a good job at Barcelona. Who knows, maybe he’ll win the Ballon d’Or.”
Raphinha’s Barcelona numbers compared to his Leeds spell
An impressive spell with Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes earned him a move to Sporting, and then a move to France with Rennes. His 15 goals and assists in 36 games saw Victor Orta sign him for Leeds.
A bit of an unknown, it took him a matter of a few weeks to shine under Marcelo Bielsa and become a fan favourite at Elland Road. Leeds’ best in the last two decades, before Andrea Radrizzani sold him in 2022.
| Season | Club | Games (Starts) | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Minutes per G+A |
| 2020-21 | Leeds Rennes | 37 (31) | 2803 | 7 | 11 | 155.7 |
| 2021-22 | Leeds | 36 (34) | 2968 | 11 | 3 | 212.0 |
| 2022-23 | Barcelona | 50 (35) | 2925 | 10 | 12 | 133.0 |
| 2023-24 | Barcelona | 37 (25) | 1950 | 10 | 13 | 84.8 |
| 2024-25 | Barcelona | 40 (39) | 3262 | 25 | 18 | 75.9 |
To have a ratio of a goal or an assist every 76 minutes is quite remarkable. Harry Gray thinks Raphinha is the best in the world, and he might be right if he continues his form and goes on to win the Ballon d’Or.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
