Raphinha is absolutely tearing it up, currently leading the La Liga Golden Boot race with a stunning 12 goals in just seven matches, putting serious pressure on two-time reigning champion Kylian Mbappe right out of the gate. We’re only in September, and this dude is already making a statement that nobody saw coming, especially given the history.
Mbappe’s Reign and the Early Shockwaves
Kylian Mbappe has been an absolute machine in La Liga, no doubt about it. He’s finished as the league’s top goal scorer in each of his two seasons with Real Madrid, creating this crazy divide between the team’s “difficult seasons” and his individual brilliance. Last year, the guy won the Pichichi trophy with 25 goals, including 8 penalty kicks, and added 5 assists in 31 appearances. He topped the charts by two goals over Verdat Muriqi, even missing time in the second half of the season. Mbappe was scorching hot out of the gate, finding the net in 18 of his first 22 La Liga games.
He was the “overwhelming favorite” for a third consecutive campaign, a “clear runaway favorite” sporting negative odds at -175 to lead the league in scoring. Real Madrid even bolstered their attack further, spending big on Yan Diomande. Everyone expected Mbappe to just cruise, but then Raphinha showed up like a wrecking ball.
The Race Just Got Real
While Mbappe is sitting at seven goals in seven matches himself, tied with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Rayo Vallecano’s Sergio Camello, Raphinha’s twelve goals are a league-leading explosion. It’s not just the goals, either; Raphinha has three assists to go with his 12 goals and 3 penalty kicks. Barcelona is clearly hoping their big-money additions, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, will boost both Yamal and Raphinha.
Yamal, with odds at +1000, and Raphinha, at +1400, are considered “likely challengers” to Mbappe. But the buzz has always been that those two create for others as much as scoring themselves. Well, Raphinha is proving he can do both, and then some. Don’t sleep on other names making noise either: Roberto Fernandez and Yassir Zabiri are both sitting at six goals. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Fer Nino, and Ante Budimir each have five goals, with Budimir’s 3 penalty kicks being a notable part of his tally. Lucas Boye has four goals in just six matches, proving that this race is deeper than just the big names.
This Golden Boot race is officially lit. Can Mbappe close that five-goal gap and maintain his dominance, or is Raphinha’s early surge a sign of a new king in the making? It’s September 20, and this season already feels like it’s going to be a wild ride. The Sporting News will be tracking it all the way to the final matchday on May 30, and you bet we’ll be glued to every single game until then!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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