Raphinha answered Kylian Mbappé in style by scoring a hat-trick against Racing Santander, moving back to the top of the La Liga scoring chart only around 24 hours after losing the lead.

Raphinha hits hat-trick as Mbappé loses La Liga scoring lead again

Raphinha produced a stunning response in the La Liga scoring race after scoring a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 7-2 victory over Racing Santander.

The Brazilian forward scored three times as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season.

But his goals also had a major impact on the individual battle for the league’s top scorer award.

Only around 24 hours earlier, Kylian Mbappé had moved above Raphinha in the scoring chart after finding the net for Real Madrid against Elche.

Raphinha did not stay behind for long.

Raphinha scores three against Racing

Raphinha was one of Barcelona’s biggest attacking threats throughout the match.

He opened his account from the penalty spot in the 25th minute.

He then scored again before half-time to give Barcelona even more control.

Raphinha completed his hat-trick in the second half with another penalty in the 67th minute.

It was another dominant performance from a player who has started the season in excellent form.

Barcelona eventually won 7-2 in a match full of goals and attacking quality.

Back above Mbappé after just 24 hours

The timing of Raphinha’s hat-trick made the story even more interesting.

Mbappé had scored for Real Madrid against Elche one day earlier.

That goal temporarily moved the French star to the top of the La Liga scoring chart.

But Raphinha’s three goals against Racing quickly changed the situation again.

After the latest round of matches, Raphinha moved to nine La Liga goals.

Mbappé remained on seven.

It means the Barcelona forward has once again taken control of the early race for the scoring title.

Nine league goals in six matches

Raphinha’s numbers at the start of the season are impressive.

He has now scored nine goals in his first six La Liga matches.

He has found the net in five of those six games.

That level of consistency has made him one of the most dangerous attackers in Spain so far this season.

His latest hat-trick also took his total to 11 goals in all competitions.

Fourth Barcelona hat-trick

The three goals against Racing also brought another important milestone.

It was Raphinha’s fourth hat-trick for Barcelona.

His previous three came against Valladolid, Bayern Munich and Sevilla.

The latest one adds another major performance to his growing list in a Barcelona shirt.

It also shows how important Raphinha has become in the team’s attack.

Raphinha becoming a major goal threat

Raphinha has always been known for his speed, movement and creativity.

But his goal numbers are now becoming just as important.

Against Racing, he played closer to the centre and constantly attacked dangerous areas inside the box.

That allowed him to become more involved in finishing moves instead of only creating them from wide positions.

The result was another three goals and one of his best performances of the season.

Raphinha refuses to call this his best level

Despite his excellent form, Raphinha remained careful after the match.

Speaking after the game, he explained that he does not want to say he is playing the best football of his career.

Instead, he said he always wants to improve and continue helping the team.

That message reflects the mentality behind his strong start to the season.

Even with nine league goals already, Raphinha appears focused on what comes next.

Barcelona continue perfect start

Raphinha’s hat-trick was only one part of another huge Barcelona victory.

The 7-2 win over Racing continued an extraordinary opening to the season.

Barcelona have now won their first seven competitive matches of the campaign.

It is the first time in the club’s history that they have started a season with seven straight competitive victories.

Hansi Flick’s team have also been scoring goals at an incredible rate.

Early scoring battle with Mbappé

The season is still in its early stages, but a fascinating individual battle is already developing.

Mbappé has started strongly for Real Madrid.

Raphinha has answered with an even faster scoring pace for Barcelona.

And the lead has already changed hands more than once.

Mbappé briefly moved ahead after scoring against Elche.

Then Raphinha responded with three goals of his own just around 24 hours later.

The battle between the two stars could become one of the biggest individual stories of the La Liga season.

A perfect response from Raphinha

Raphinha could hardly have produced a better answer.

He had lost the lead in the scoring race.

One day later, he scored three goals.

Barcelona won 7-2.

And he moved back to the top.

Nine La Liga goals. Four Barcelona hat-tricks. And the scoring lead is his again.

If his current form continues, the battle between Raphinha and Mbappé may only be getting started.