Former Leeds United attacker Raphinha had a magical UEFA Champions League night in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. The standout joins Neymar Jr. and Ronaldinho in an impressive stat as he continues his upward trajectory after leaving Elland Road in 2022.
The Brazilian opened the scoring in the first minute, foreshadowing his performance for the rest of the night. Raphinha then scored in the 45th minute to give the Spanish side a commanding 3-1 advantage and completed scoring his first-half brace.
In the second half, Raphinha completed the hat-trick with a goal in the 56th minute as the Catalan side would cruise to an impressive win over the Bundesliga giants.
“This was revenge for the supporters,” Raphinha said after the game (h/t ESPN). “For the players, we can’t focus on the past, only the next game, but I suffered those games as a fan, too.”
Raphinha enters impressive category with UCL performance
OptaJoao highlighted on X that Raphinha has become the fourth Brazilian to score a hat-trick for Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, joining the ranks of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Neymar.
4 – Raphinha is the fourth Brazilian to score a hat-trick for Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, after Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Neymar. Company. pic.twitter.com/yU28yegehU
— OptaJoao (@OptaJoao) October 23, 2024
Manager Hansi Flick only had praise for the former Leeds United man for his performance as the player is an embodiment of how the squad should function.
“Raphinha is a very good example of how the team works,” Flick said in a news conference (h/t ESPN). “He is someone who always gives everything in training and in games, too, he plays with a lot of intensity. He’s very important for us, how he presses, and today we saw he scores goals as well.
“He’s a player who is defensive and offensive, with intensity, dynamism, technique … We have an excellent team and these characteristics suit us perfectly.”
Over the last few years, players have come and gone, but it seems Leeds United supporters admire those players who gave everything while at Elland Road. Moreover, even when they decide to leave, supporters wish them well and are not afraid to celebrate their accomplishments even when they’re no longer playing in white.
Whether it’s Raphinha, Marcelo Bielsa, Archie Gray, etc., Leeds United supporters have soft spots for brilliant talents and managers who enjoyed their stints.
