Real Madrid, beware: Reinvented Raphinha channelling Neymar as Barcelona’s new leading man ahead of El Clasico

Barcelona teams have rarely been short on scintillating Samba skill. From Romario and Ronaldo Nazario to Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, the Blaugrana's proud history with Brazilian talent dates back over 30 years.

Raphinha is finally making a strong case to be mentioned in the same breath as those icons. He is now the fourth Brazilian to score a Champions League hat-trick for Barca, after Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Neymar - the latter of whom was also the last player from any club to hit a first-half brace against Bayern in the competition back in 2014-15.

Barca won the treble that season, and Neymar posted a staggering total of 50 goal contributions in 51 appearances. Raphinha has a long way to go to match his compatriot, but he's already up to 17 in just 13 games, and he's giving supporters reason to dream of silverware again.

Neymar ultimately blew his chances of becoming a Barca legend when he sealed a world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. He was, though, undeniably one of the most gifted footballers ever to wear the Blaugrana shirt, and Raphinha appeared to be channelling the prime version of Neymar on Wednesday.

His second goal, especially, was straight out of the Neymar playbook, as he effortlessly took a cross-field pass from Marc Casado in his stride before cutting in onto his right foot and curling the ball into the far corner of Manuel Neuer's net. Making the difficult look easy is the mark of a great player, and Bayern simply couldn't cope with Raphinha's ingenuity, pace and disorientating footwork.

Raphinha's revival has been such a compelling story because few expected him to still be on Barcelona's books at the start of the 2024-25 season. The Catalan club reportedly placed a €60 million (£51m/$65m) price tag on his head in the summer transfer window after deeming him an expendable asset.

That came after Blaugrana president Joan Laporta had publicly declared interest in Nico Williams, on the back of the Athletic Club winger's superb Euro 2024 with Spain. Barca couldn't afford Williams without reducing their wage bill, and selling Raphinha was the obvious solution, with the Brazilian said to be pocketing around €5m per year.

A large section of the Barca faithful agreed that Williams was an upgrade on the former Leeds United man. One fan even went viral for wearing Raphinha's No.11 shirt with Williams' name on the back, which prompted the Brazil international to respond with a series of laughing face emojis.

Privately, though, Raphinha was hurting, as he admitted in the build-up to the Bayern game. "I thought it was a joke in bad taste and it was disrespectful. People need to respect the players that are here. We're here giving our best and fighting for the club. To see a photo like that wasn't very nice for me, I took it as a lack of respect."

Raphinha has successfully silenced that "disrespectful" group this season. Williams is no longer even a talking point, and Laporta owes their current No.11 a sincere apology.

Much of the credit for Raphinha's evolution must go to Flick. The Brazilian was initially signed from Leeds to fill the spot on the right flank in July 2022, but Lamine Yamal changed everything. The teenage star made that role his own during a breakout 2023-24 season, leaving Raphinha's future up in the air.

Had Xavi still been in charge, Raphinha probably wouldn't have survived, but Flick took an immediate shine to him after being chosen to succeed the axed Spaniard. Raphinha now operates on the left or in a central role just behind Robert Lewandowski, and has worked hard to make himself indispensable.

"It's very important for me to have the confidence of the coach and my team-mates," he said at the start of the week. "My mentality at the beginning of the season was different from other years - I knew I had to adapt to a new position to play here."

Raphinha has been setting the tone for Barca going forward with his dynamic dribbling and progressive passing, while also leading their press out of possession, much to Flick's delight. The German tactician demands an expansive, high-energy brand of football, which Raphinha has become the face of.

“He has good dynamics with the ball and he has had an extraordinary match," Flick beamed when quizzed on Raphinha's impact after the win over Bayern. "His offensive and defensive dynamics, and his good technique, are something special. I have never had a player like him and he helps us a lot."

Raphinha has claimed he is now "working at 200 percent", having also embraced the extra responsibility of being one of Barcelona's four club captains. But the biggest difference between this version of the Brazilian and the one that flattered to deceive under Xavi is that he seems to have a permanent smile on his face.

You can sense the confidence surging through Raphinha's veins, for perhaps the first time since his days at Leeds. He played with the same carefree abandon in West Yorkshire, where the pressure on his shoulders was far less pronounced.

Leeds finished ninth in their first season back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence, largely thanks to the relationship Raphinha struck up with Patrick Bamford in the final third. An alarming slide towards the relegation places followed in 2021-22, but Raphinha's standards didn't drop, and his 11 goals prevented the Whites from falling back into the Championship.

Raphinha became a hero among supporters across those two seasons for bringing flair and a tenacious edge to the Leeds team. "They tell me he learned all that at Elland Road," Guy Mowbray even said when commentating on Raphinha's hat-trick showing against Bayern for BBC Sport's new Champions League highlights show.

The gulf in quality between Leeds and Barca is obviously huge, but Raphinha is finally playing with uninhibited joy again. He savoured every minute in the English top-flight, and has rediscovered the same passion at Barca this term.

Real Madrid won La Liga at a canter last season, finishing 10 points clear of Barca, while also scooping their record-extending 15th Champions League crown - all without a recognised centre-forward. In a bid to maintain that dominance, Los Blancos signed Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer, after the Frenchman cut ties with PSG.

On paper, Carlo Ancelotti had assembled the most frightening forward line in the game: Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo - along with Jude Bellingham in a supporting role. As a result, the expectation was that Madrid would blow away all the competition again in 2024-25.

However, that vision has yet to become a reality. Madrid appear to have lost a bit of balance, with Mbappe naturally drifting into Vinicius' territory on the left, and Bellingham struggling to exert as much influence in a deeper role.

Barca are only three points ahead of Madrid at the top of La Liga heading into the first Clasico of the season, but the general consensus is that they're performing at a much higher level than their arch-rivals. Flick's side have certainly been more prolific, scoring 33 goals in 10 league games compared to Madrid's 21.

The reigning champions will be watching the harmony between Raphinha, Lewandowski and Yamal with envious eyes. Lewandowski has rolled back the years at 36 to storm to the top of the Pichichi charts, Raphinha is leading the way for assists, and Yamal also has 12 goal involvements to his name. All three men will be licking their lips at the prospect of coming up against a Madrid defence that looked worryingly shaky in their 5-2 comeback win over Borussia Dortmund.

Raphinha also earned a rave review from Diario Sport for masterminding Bayern's downfall. "His form is not something coincidental. It is stratospheric. Incredible Raphinha," said the Catalan newspaper. "This Barcelona is the Barcelona of Yamal, of Lewandowski, of Fermin [Lopez]... But above all it is the Barcelona of a Brazilian winger who scores many goals, runs and infects the team with his electricity. It is not Neymar, it is Raphinha."

Lewandowski is proving he remains a world-class marksman and Yamal is well on his way to justifying comparisons with Lionel Messi, but Raphinha has established himself as Barca's most deadly weapon in recent weeks. He's been like a new signing, finally unlocking his full potential with Flick catering to his unique strengths.

The former Leeds star has created 36 chances in La Liga so far this season, eight more than any other player, which further underlines the threat he now carries. Keeping Raphinha quiet will be essential if Madrid are to have any hope of bringing Barca crashing back down to earth, but that's easier said than done.

As Bayern learned to their peril, Raphinha only needs the smallest glimmer of an opening to conjure up something magical. Barca will arrive at the Bernabeu as favourites because of his presence alone, and if he inspires them to another statement victory then Flick's swashbuckling side can start seriously thinking about repeating the Neymar-led group's treble triumph of over a decade ago.