Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have achieved something no Barcelona pair has done in over 70 years.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have done something no Barcelona duo has done in over 70 years — and they might help Hansi Flick’s team make even more history when they face Racing Santander on Wednesday night.
Barca go into the game against Santander, who are 10th in the league, with a perfect record: five wins in five games, scoring an amazing 21 goals (that’s an average of 4.2 per game) while only letting in four. They’re setting a strong pace at the top of LaLiga.
If they win their sixth game in a row on Wednesday, it will be Barcelona’s best-ever start to a league season. That would push Flick’s star-studded team to even greater heights.
When you look at Europe’s biggest teams, it’s hard to find a better attack than Flick’s, with the front three of Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon, and Raphinha ready to break down any defense.
Raphinha and Yamal have been on fire. They are the first Barcelona pair since 1955/56 to each score six or more goals in their first five LaLiga games. Together, they’ve helped create 15 goals in that time.
Flick’s two attacking stars have been dangerous on the right and in the center, while new signing Anthony Gordon, brought in from Newcastle United for £69.3 million this summer, fits perfectly on the left side.
Gordon made history in early September by becoming just the third player this century to get four assists in his first four LaLiga games. And he’s aiming to break even more records as the season moves on.
At 25 years old, Gordon’s arrival has helped make Barca the highest-scoring team in Europe’s top five leagues. Their 21 goals in five games put them ahead of their rivals Real Madrid, who have 17.
Flick deserves big credit for turning Barcelona into a goal-scoring machine. He’s used Raphinha as a center-forward, even though he usually plays on the wing. Plus, new signings Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus from Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal have made the team more unpredictable on the counterattack.
In a surprising move, Barca only paid £8.6 million to sign Jesus from Arsenal, instead of spending big on a striker.
They did try to sign a top-class center-forward after losing Robert Lewandowski earlier this summer. Julian Alvarez was their main target, but Atletico Madrid refused to negotiate, despite Alvarez saying he dreamed of joining Barcelona.
Barcelona was also linked to other strikers like Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.
At the time, missing out on a star striker after Lewandowski’s emotional exit must have felt like a setback. But thanks to how smooth and effective Flick’s front line has been, it might actually have worked out for the best.