Raphinha leads the way for Catalans

BARCELONA visit Inter Milan in a tantalising Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg, clash on Tuesday, with Raphinha's latest contribution in the club's spectacular European run ensuring the tie restarts on a knife-edge.

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For once this season, the statistics did not fully reflect the Brazilian's part in Barcelona’s third goal in the 3-3 first-leg draw, as his vicious strike hit the crossbar and bounced in off Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer for an own goal.

Despite that, his Champions League numbers are spectacular and a just representation of the key role Raphinha plays in Hansi Flick's relentless attacking machine.

Raphinha has scored 12 goals in 13 European matches and set up nine more — if you include his assist for Sommer's own goal, that’s 21 goal contributions — while opponents Inter have scored 22 as a team across the entire competition.

The 28-year-old’s tally has surpassed Argentine great Lionel Messi’s best-ever total of 19 direct goal involvements with the Catalan giants in a single Champions League campaign.

Across the season, the former Leeds winger has 31 goals and 25 assists in 52 games across all competitions, as Barcelona target a potential quadruple, with the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup already in the bag.