Raphinha is enjoying the best season of his career by some distance and is one of Barcelona’s most decisive players in attack. The numbers, in fact, put him as one of Europe’s best and a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or.
Any talk of the prestigious award distributed by France Football and UEFA at this point brings up the topic of Vinicius Jr,. who Real Madrid claim was snubbed of the award last year when Rodri was named the winner.
A comparison of Raphinha’s numbers this year to Vinicius’ last term, surprisingly, shows Raphinha’s dominance and its magnitude.
The best Brazilian footballer
Last season was Vinicius’ best year in a Real Madrid shirt and the calls for him to win the Ballon d’Or were based on his staggering numbers of 25 goals and 12 assists.
Just over halfway through the season and Raphinha already has 24 goals to his name. Added to that, he has provided 13 assists and is thus one assist above his compatriot’s numbers for last season.