Comparing Raphinha’s stats to Barcelona’s forwards in 2021-22
Speculation around the future of Leeds United winger Raphinha is rife at the moment, and Barcelona are one of a host of European giants reportedly interested in acquiring the services of the silky Brazilian in the summer.
Prominent Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported to his mass following on Twitter that the Catalan club are locked in advanced discussions with Raphinha’s agent – former Barca midfielder Deco – about bringing the 24-year-old to the Camp Nou.
Barcelona-based newspaper Sport have gone a step further, claiming the Spanish titans have already reached an agreement with the player as manager Xavi Hernandez looks to continue his revolution ahead of next season.
Whatever the truth may be, there’s no doubting that Barca hold concrete interest in a player who has lit up the Premier League ever since his arrival at Elland Road from French outfit Rennes in 2020.
Barca have traditionally had brilliant Brazilian names in their all-conquering teams of the past – Ronaldinho’s the obvious figure who springs to mind – but is Raphinha ready to make the step up from fighting relegation, to competing to win honours at a global superpower?
Here’s how Leeds’ star man compares to Barcelona’s existing wide attacking options this season: Adama Traore, Ousmane Dembele, Memphis Depay and Ferran Torres.
In the stats compared, the focus is solely on league contributions during the 2021-22 campaign. In the case of Traore and Torres, this means we’ll be looking at their impact in both the Premier League and La Liga – the two attackers only joined Barca in the January transfer window.
Note: Due to a lack of minutes, Ansu Fati and Martin Braithwaite are excluded, as are Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Luuk De Jong who operate more as traditional No.9s.
Goals
Memphis Depay – 10
Raphinha – 9
Ferran Torres – 6
Adama Traore – 1
Ousmane Dembele – 1
Assists
Ousmane Dembele – 9
Ferran Torres – 4
Raphinha – 3
Memphis Depay – 2
Adama Traore – 2
Minutes per goal
Memphis Depay – 144
Ferran Torres – 157
Raphinha – 250
Ousmane Dembele – 754
Adama Traore – 1335
"He's a real pleasure to watch. There won't be a player in the bottom six more sought after than him."
49 Games
14 Goals
11 Assists
103 Chances createdLeeds United's Raphinha is a real talent! ✨ pic.twitter.com/A9RioWP9b3
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 9, 2022
Minutes per goal or assist
Ousmane Dembele – 75
Ferran Torres – 94
Memphis Depay – 120
Raphinha – 187
Adama Traore – 445
Chances created per 90 minutes
Ousmane Dembele – 1.31
Memphis Depay – 0.69
Ferran Torres – 0.48
Raphinha – 0.28
Adama Traore – 0.27
Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Adama Traore – 4.7 (70.1%)
Ousmane Dembele – 2.6 (50%)
Raphinha – 2.1 (40%)
Memphis Depay – 1.6 (50%)
Ferran Torres – 1.3 (52%)
Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Ousmane Dembele – 53 (76%)
Memphis Depay – 47 (75%)
Raphinha – 39 (64%)
Ferran Torres – 33 (83%)
Adama Traore – 30 (75%)
Shots per 90 minutes (shots on target percentage)
Ferran Torres – 3.9 (29%)
Ousmane Dembele – 3.3 (18%)
Raphinha – 2.8 (24%)
Memphis Depay – 2.7 (58%)
Adama Traore – 2 (27%)
Non-penalty Expected goals / Expected Assists per 90 minutes
Ferran Torres – 0.65npxG / 0.16xA
Memphis Depay – 0.38npxG / 0.22xA
Raphinha – 0.28npxG / 0.25xA
Ousmane Dembele – 0.18npxG / 0.57xA
Adama Traore – 0.18npxG / 0.16xA
Pressures per 90 minutes
Raphinha – 15.5
Ousmane Dembele – 15
Ferran Torres – 12.9
Adama Traore – 11.4
Memphis Depay – 10
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