Raphinha has made a stunning start to the La Liga season, scoring 12 goals in seven matches to move past Lionel Messi and within one goal of Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible 2014/15 total.

Raphinha moves ahead of Messi as Ronaldo’s famous record comes into reach

Raphinha has produced one of the most impressive starts to a La Liga season after moving past Lionel Messi and closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous scoring mark.

The Barcelona winger scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 victory over Sevilla.

Those three goals took his league total to 12 after only seven matches.

That is already more than Messi ever managed in the first seven games of a La Liga season.

Raphinha scores another hat-trick

Raphinha once again became Barcelona’s main attacking threat against Sevilla.

He opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before adding his second goal early in the second half.

The Brazilian completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute.

It was his second consecutive La Liga hat-trick.

He had also scored three goals in Barcelona’s previous league victory over Racing Santander.

Raphinha moves past Messi

The Sevilla hat-trick gave Raphinha 12 goals from his first seven La Liga matches this season.

Lionel Messi’s best total at the same stage was 11 goals during the 2017/18 campaign.

Raphinha has therefore officially moved one goal ahead of Messi’s best seven-game start.

It is a remarkable achievement considering Messi’s incredible scoring history with Barcelona.

Ronaldo is now only one goal ahead

The next name in front of Raphinha is Cristiano Ronaldo.

During the 2014/15 season, Ronaldo scored 13 goals in his first seven La Liga appearances for Real Madrid.

Raphinha is now only one goal behind that extraordinary total.

The comparison after seven league matches now looks like this:

Cristiano Ronaldo: 13 goals

Raphinha: 12 goals

Lionel Messi: 11 goals

Ronaldo’s number is not the all-time record

There is one important detail about the comparison.

Ronaldo’s 13-goal start is one of the greatest of the modern La Liga era, but it is not the all-time record.

Esteban Echevarría scored 14 goals in his first seven matches for Real Oviedo during the 1943/44 season.

That means Raphinha is two goals behind the historical record.

But in the 21st century, Ronaldo remains the benchmark after seven matches.

Raphinha’s scoring form has reached another level

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

This season, however, his finishing has become just as important.

Twelve goals in seven league games means he is averaging more than 1.7 goals per match.

His back-to-back hat-tricks have completely changed the early Pichichi race.

Barcelona continue their perfect start

Raphinha’s goals have also helped Barcelona maintain their excellent start to the season.

The victory over Sevilla kept their perfect La Liga run alive.

Once again, Raphinha was the player who made the biggest difference.

His form has become one of the biggest reasons behind Barcelona’s strong early results.

Can Raphinha reach Ronaldo’s mark?

After seven matches, the numbers are now impossible to ignore.

Messi’s best start has already been passed.

Ronaldo’s 13-goal total is only one goal away.

And the historic record of 14 is only two goals ahead.

Raphinha is now entering scoring territory normally connected with the greatest players in La Liga history.

Raphinha is creating his own history

Comparisons with Messi and Ronaldo are never easy.

Both players dominated Spanish football for many years and set records that appeared almost impossible to reach.

But Raphinha’s current numbers have placed him in the same conversation.

After seven La Liga matches, he has scored more than Messi ever did at the same stage and is only one behind Ronaldo’s famous 2014/15 start.

Twelve goals.

Seven matches.

Two consecutive hat-tricks.

Raphinha’s season has started in extraordinary fashion.

And if he continues scoring at this rate, even more historic records could soon be under threat.