Do not cry because it’s over, Leeds United fans, smile because it happened.
How many times over recent years can Leeds say they have had a genuine world-beating talent wearing their famous white shirt?
Despite Kalvin Phillips’ Premier League titles and England Player of the Year gong, he would never quite reach the same heights as he did under Marcelo Bielsa. Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville might make it to the elite – now at Brighton and West Ham respectively – but they both have a long way to go.
Raphinha, however, can lay a genuine claim right now to being the finest footballer on planet earth.
A reminder, this was a man who once crawled the length of the pitch on his hands and knees for Leeds United. Three years after Raphinha’s penalty set Jesse Marsch’s team on their way to a 2-1 final day victory over Brentford – securing survival in the dying embers of the season – Thierry Henry is tipping the Barcelona talisman for Ballon D’Or glory.
The Leeds faithful always knew Raphinha was something special. That he would become quite this special, however, nobody really saw coming.
Raphinha matches Ronaldo as former Leeds United favourite stars for Barcelona again
On a night when Mo Salah suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak – Liverpool losing out to Paris Saint-Germain – one of the Egyptian’s main Ballon D’Or rivals scored twice and set up the other as Barcelona waltzed past Benfica.
Raphinha’s tallies might not be quite as lofty as Salah’s. But, with 27 goals and 19 assists now in the red and blue of Barcelona, a forward who became a solid if not spectacular goalscorer at Leeds United is starting to produce the sort of numbers not seen at the Blaugrana since the days of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
“Yes, he is right up there [in Ballon D’Or contention],” Arsenal legend Henry said after watching the Brazil international move ahead of Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy in the Champions League Golden Boot race.
“Raphinha is ahead for me now because of what he is doing. Eleven goals in the Champions League.
“Mo Salah is a contender for [the Ballon D’Or]. Harry Kane as well, Ousmane Dembele… But Raphinha is on a lot of goals with only one penalty. Raphinha, what he is doing, he is complete. He defends, press well. He has it all.”
Another thing Raphinha has, now, is a place alongside one of the finest attackers in football history in Barcelona’s gilded history books.
The iconic Ronaldo ‘Fenomeno’ scored a staggering 47 goals in 49 games during his one and only season at the Camp Nou in 1996/97.
Raphinha may have needed 128 games to match his tally – he joined Barca from Leeds in 2022 – but considering that we are talking about a winger who looked set to be phased out in Catalonia only a year ago makes his evolution into one of the game’s most lethal marksman all the more impressive.
Raphinha sets his sights on Champions League glory
Before this season, Raphinha’s best-ever return came when he netted 18 for Vitoria Guimaraes back in 2017/18.
The former Rennes and Sporting Lisbon wideman is now just three shy of breaking the 30-goal barrier for the very first time. Who knows, perhaps even 40-plus is on the cards.
“We knew that Benfica would come out strong and we knew what we had to do to win the match. We were focused on that. We had the result in our favour and we had a good first half,” Raphinha beamed, his connection with whizzkid Lamine Yamal paying dividends as Barcelona roared into a 3-0 lead inside 42 minutes in their second-leg tie.
“We are candidates to win everything.”
The challenge for Daniel Farke and co, now, is to find the next Raphinha. Another rising star with world-beating potential. Leeds United have an interest in Alvyn Sanches of Lausanne Sport, alongside Edouard Spertsyan of Krasnodar and Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna to name but three.
A trio of vast, and currently untapped, potential.
Interestingly, Leeds would bank £10 million if Barcelona win the Champions League this season. £10 million which could be used to find Raphinha Mk2.
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