Neymar, Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho. Can Raphinha trump them all at Barcelona? New York Times (Online) Pol Ballús Writing a piece like this was always likely to upset some people. I'm sorry about that. I acknowledge the risks, but nonetheless wanted to share an opinion about Raphinha. With all due respect to Neymar, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and several others, he is on track to become Barca's second-best Brazilian of all time. According to Barcelona, 48 Brazilians have played for the club since it was founded in 1899. This column is not an analysis of each one based on entirely objective truths. Instead, it is about the wider feelings: the memories they left, the impact they had, what they meant to fans at the Camp Nou week in, week out. Only one is still safe from Raphinha in my mind: Ronaldinho. He was absolutely transformational. Ronaldinho changed the mood at Barca completely following his signing from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth about €25milllion (￡21m/$28m at current rates) in July 2003. He arrived with the club mired in crisis and, in three years, made them Champions League winners, picking up the 2005 Ballon d'Or along the way. Forget about the stats (although, if you're counting: 94 goals and 71 assists in 207 matches); it was the smile he put on people's faces. You knew he would bring excitement every time he stepped on the pitch. Choosing who comes next is where the controversy might start. What about Neymar? Rivaldo? Neymar's figures are out of this world. He contributed 181 goal involvements in 186 games across four seasons at Barca (2013-2017), including three years alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and Xavi. He was a key part of one of the game's greatest strike forces, but his legacy was damaged by the way he left. Five years younger than Messi, he was supposed to stay and one day take the reins, but instead chose to move to Paris Saint-Germain. The €222million transfer caused serious tension between the French club and Barca. Rivaldo was pretty much the opposite: the lone star of a languishing squad that struggled in the shadow of a successful past. He arrived in 1997, won the Ballon d'Or in 1999 and carried the club through tough moments — including Luis Figo's exit for Real Madrid in 2000 . His hat-trick against Valencia, sealed with a bicycle kick in the dying minutes to secure Champions League qualification at the visitors' expense in 2001, will always be one of the Camp Nou's greatest individual performances. 🇧🇷 Rivaldo with an all-time great against Valencia. 🚲 https://t.co/ixkm4Nls7L — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 19, 2020 Then there are Ronaldo Nazario and Romario. The fact that they only stayed at the club for one season, even though they were both unbelievable, is why they appear lower down this list. Romario left Barca on bad terms, too, as the club did not tolerate him returning late to Barcelona after winning the 1994 World Cup, taking his time to complete some commercial deals. Ronaldo, meanwhile, joined Real Madrid five years after leaving Barca, taking away the love Catalan fans still had for him. An honorary mention also goes to Evaristo de Macedo, known as one of the first superstars Barcelona ever had. He joined the club in 1956 and scored 105 goals, including one that knocked Real Madrid out of the European Cup for the first time ever. Not mentioned in detail here is Dani Alves, who during his spell at Barca from 2008-2016 often looked like the best right-back in the world. In 2025, he had a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for sexual assault overturned on appeal . Raphinha could trump them all. Even before his absolutely sensational form this term, there was already a strong case. He pushed to join a struggling Barca side back in 2022, one that needed to lay the foundations of a new project and challenge a dominant Real Madrid. Then aged 25, he was recruited from Leeds as a right-winger, but had to live in Ousmane Dembele's shadow for a season. After Dembele left for PSG, Lamine Yamal burst on to the scene, and Raphinha was moved out to the left. He did not just accept it; he thrived, finding his best self. Props to Hansi Flick for that. Now he has been converted into a centre-forward. It has been mind-blowing to see how well he has done. If he stays fit enough to build on his terrific start to 2026-27 (he has 14 goals from 10 games) and help deliver more silverware, Raphinha will earn his place on the podium of Barca's best Brazilians. Especially if Barca win the Champions League, fans should be writing his name just below the sacred legacy of Ronaldinho. Raphinha has already scored 89 goals and provided 62 assists in 187 games. Those numbers are excellent and should get even better given the pivotal role he has this season. But most important is how he leads by example. His relentless high-pressing, never dropping his effort levels, sends a message to every team-mate. Those values are rare in a player so mercurially talented, and he has become an ideal role model for a potentially era-defining generation at the club, including Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. Flick chose him as this season's captain for a reason. The fact that Raphinha was not among the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees is a travesty that should question the value of the award , but he seems to have found a useful way to channel any frustration and make his point count.