Unforgettable day for Raphinha

The 7-0 defeat of Real Valladolid was the perfect send-off for the team ahead of the international break. After three narrow 2-1 wins, FC Barcelona truly let things fly as they crushed the visitors on Saturday night.

First hat-trick

Every member of the team excelled, but one name stood out above the rest: Raphael Dias Belloli. Three goals and one assist were an amazing return from Raphinha. That's his first ever hat-trick after 91 games for Barça, coming just over half a decade after the last three-goal performance by a Brazilian, namely that of Philippe Coutinho against Levante in 2018.

Raphinha claimed after the game that his was first ever hat-trick. It comes after seven braces, just one of which was for Barça, against PSG last season. But he finally has a blaugrana hat-trick, and to top it off, he also assisted Ferran Torres for the seventh and final goal of the night.

Amazing display

To put it into context, the only time a Barça player participated in four goals in the same game last season was when Ferran Torres also got three goals and assist, in his case away to Betis. Before that, Ousmane Dembelé got a goal and three assists against Athletic Club.

To show what a rare achievement it is, between 2014 and 2020 only the legendary MSN managed it. Messi did it 14 times, Suárez ten and Neymar twice.

But stats aside, there is no denying that Raphinha is well and truly in his element playing under Hansi Flick. Last season, he was playing a bigger and bigger role as the season wore on, but in 2024/25 he is blooming like never before. And that's a very good thing to see!