Raphinha's star is born at Barcelona: Here's what statement Champions League win means with Real Madrid next

In the most star-studded Game on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League, one star wasted little time shining brighter than the rest – Raphinha.

Barcelona's 4-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday was chiefly a showcase for the Brazilian's skillset as he scored a hattrick, skillfully finding the back of the net on each occasion. He set the tone in the first minute, receiving a slick pass from Fermin Lopez deep in the opposition half before darting towards goal without a defender in sight. The finish, which came from close range after running around goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, was the easy part.

Raphinha and Barcelona ran the playbook again and again against Bayern, making a long run from the left flank for his second goal in the 45th minute and then on the counterattack in the 56th minute. Barcelona's attacking strategy was almost as simple as just passing to Raphinha whenever he was available, making nearly everything else in a high-intensity game feel like a footnote.

The Brazil international was not only the standout in Barcelona's first statement win under manager Hansi Flick; he is quickly becoming the face of the team's season of revitalization. Barcelona currently sit atop La Liga's standings with 10 Games in the books and are the league's top-scoring team, thanks in large part to Raphina's contributions. Wednesday's hat trick brings Raphinha's total to nine goals and six assists in 13 Games this season, averaging a goal or assist every 71.5 minutes.

The 27-year-old bolsters a youth-focused strategy from Barcelona, whose Gameday squad on Wednesday was full of academy products who are rising up the ranks, finding a way to stand out even as 17-year-old Lamine Yamal continues to chart his upward trajectory. The space he is carving out for himself is a surprising one, too – expectations were not this high for Raphinha when he joined Barcelona from Leeds United in 2022, and went goalless in his first 10 Champions League Games.

Though he began to show glimpses of that potential last season, chiefly with a brace in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, Raphinha has become a more active participant since Flick took charge of Barcelona. He's averaging around 10 more touches and eight more passes a season, while he's also increased his output in a handful of attacking categories. He's obviously well on pace to beat last season's tally of 10 goals across all competitions, he's doubled his average for chances created to start this season and takes about one more shot per game. Raphinha has also doubled his expected goals in La Liga play this season, which currently sits at 0.6 xG per game.

His transformation is the most tangible example of Flick's iNFLuence on Barcelona just two months into his stint in charge, though far from the only one. Raphina's rise, though, is easily becoming one of the stories to watch this season in Europe and could deliver another exciting chapter just a few days from now, when Barcelona conclude a big week with a trip to Real Madrid for El Clasico on Saturday.