Winger Converted to Striker Scores 8 Goals in 5 Games, Raphinha Solves Barcelona’s Forward Concerns Alone

A month ago, Barcelona were still worried about not having a natural center forward. Now Raphinha has provided the answer with eight goals. The 29-year-old Brazilian winger was converted by Flick into a No. 9 role and scored twice against Feyenoord in Wednesday night’s Champions League match to help his team win.

Moving from the wing to the middle, he feels even more comfortable

This season, Flick moved Raphinha from the left wing to the center forward position. A winger put on the clothes of a striker, but the “costume” seems tailor-made for him. His first goal against Feyenoord was a work of art: in the third minute, after receiving Yamal’s pass and entering the penalty area, one touch and one feint left two defenders behind him before he calmly finished. The second goal was a different kind of brilliance — a perfectly timed run behind the defense followed by a confident finish. He presses, he makes runs, and he simplifies Barcelona’s attack, with an extremely high conversion rate. It looks completely natural, even though this is not his familiar position.

After the World Cup, one sentence from Flick led him to accept the challenge

The No. 9 role had hardly been seriously attempted with Raphinha at the clubs where he had previously played. During training after returning from the World Cup, Flick told him he wanted him to try this position. Raphinha did not back down. This was also not the first time he had faced pressure from positional competition. When he joined Barcelona from Leeds United in July 2022, he was positioned as a right winger, but then-manager Xavi trusted Dembele more, leaving Raphinha waiting. After Dembele moved to Paris Saint-Germain the following summer, Xavi began using Raphinha, but often replaced him with Ferran Torres during matches, causing Raphinha to walk angrily toward the bench several times and requiring teammates to calm him down. Later, Yamal rose completely and had firmly secured the starting right-wing role by January 2024. When Raphinha returned from injury, a 16-year-old had already moved ahead of him.

The anxiety from a month ago is no longer being mentioned

Just one month ago, there were still concerns inside Barcelona. Lewandowski left when his contract expired at the end of June, and Ferran Torres was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in mid-August. Barcelona wanted Julian Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid firmly refused to sell. An unnamed Barcelona board member said during the preseason training camp: “There is no center forward.” Now Raphinha has used eight goals in the first five matches of the season to completely ease those concerns. His brace against Feyenoord brought his season tally to eight goals.