Raphinha: La Liga's top scorer with 13 goals for Barcelona
Raphinha leads La Liga with 13 goals for Barcelona, who are second on 27 points. Here is why the Brazilian belongs in the world's top 10 right now.
Raphinha is the least famous player on this list and the one with the best scoring numbers in La Liga. That is the case for him.
The numbers
ESPN has Raphinha on 13 league goals and 3 assists from 9 matches, first in the La Liga scoring chart. NBC Sports, published on 30 October, also shows 13, ahead of Kylian Mbappé on 11 and Lamine Yamal on 8. Flashscore says he has 15 goals in all competitions this season.
Barcelona are second on 27 points from ten matches, behind Atlético Madrid on 28, according to ESPN. His goal against Real Madrid on 25 October, a far-corner finish from inside the box in the 61st minute according to Flashscore, was not enough to avoid a 2-1 defeat, the first of Barcelona's league season.
Why he belongs
Raphinha is on this list because the numbers force it. He has scored more than Mbappé and Yamal, and Barcelona are in the title race. He does not have their audience yet, but a player who leads the league in goals tends to get one.
What nobody else does
Raphinha is listed as a wide player who finishes like a striker. His goal against Madrid went into the far corner from inside the box, and 13 in 9 matches suggests he is taking up scoring positions a winger normally would not. Yamal is the creator on the other flank; Raphinha is the one who keeps finishing.
What's next
Staying at the top of the scoring chart while Mbappé closes in with 11. If Barcelona want to catch Atlético Madrid and hold off Real Madrid, the 13-goal start has to keep going.
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