The race for the La Liga 2026/27 Pichichi Trophy for the top-scorer has taken another turn, with FC Barcelona captain Raphinha extending his lead at the summit after scoring a hat-trick against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
The Brazilian forward now has 12 goals after seven La Liga matches, underlining his outstanding start to the campaign and his growing importance in the Blaugrana attack.
Raphinha's move into the centre-forward role has played a major part in his remarkable scoring record .
With Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres no longer at the club, the Barcelona captain has taken on greater responsibility in front of goal.
The switch to the No. 9 position has given him more opportunities to finish attacks and has helped address the goalscoring concerns surrounding Flick's side before the season began.
Back-to-back hat-tricks for Raphinha. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Raphinha was also notably absent from the 30-player Ballon d'Or shortlist, but his performances in La Liga have made him the leading scorer in the competition.
Barcelona have won all seven of their league matches, with many of those victories coming alongside convincing attacking displays.
And, Raphinha has been at the centre of that run, scoring back-to-back hat-tricks in the games against Racing Santander (7-2) and Sevilla (3-1) over the past week.
It has now taken him to 12 goals in the league, sitting comfortably ahead of the competition in the Pichichi Trophy race.
Leading the Pichichi Trophy race. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Behind Raphinha, his Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal , Real Madrid megastar Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Camello of Rayo Vallecano are joint-second on seven goals apiece.
Roberto Fernandez of Espanyol follows on six, while former Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang , playing for Deportivo de A Coruna, Racing's Yassir Zabiri and Ante Budimir of Osasuna have each scored five.
Barcelona attacking midfielder Fermin Lopez is among the next group with four goals, alongside Lucas Boye and Alex Baena.
If he continues this hot streak after the international break, Raphinha has every chance of finishing the season as the top goalscorer in La Liga and bagging his first Pichichi trophy.
