Raphinha's breakthrough season key for Barcelona as it nears Spanish league title

MADRID (AP) — Raphinha is about to cap his best season for Barcelona with the Spanish league title.

Lamine Yamal has been getting most of the attention as Barcelona moves closer to lifting the trophy, but Raphinha has been just as important for the Catalan club in its title run.

Barcelona can clinch its 28th league title if Real Madrid fails to beat Mallorca at home on Wednesday, or if it beats Espanyol in the Barcelona derby on Thursday. Barcelona came from behind to defeat Madrid 4-3 in the last “clasico” of the season on Sunday — with a double by Raphinha — to open a seven-point lead over its rival with three matches remaining.

The 28-year-old Raphinha is having his breakthrough season with Barcelona, being decisive in big matches and putting up career-high numbers in terms of goals and assists. He scored five of the 16 goals scored by Barcelona in the four “clasico” matches that it won against Madrid this season.

“I demand a lot of myself and I'm a player who wants to be doing his very best all the time," Raphinha said. “I've been working hard for these moments and I've tried to find my best version ever since I arrived at this club. I've always said that I came here to try to write my name in the history of this club.”

His performances have already helped Barcelona win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, when he scored twice in a 5-2 final against Madrid. Raphinha also was key in a 4-0 rout of Madrid in a Spanish league match at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he had a goal and an assist.

Raphinha has scored 34 goals for Barcelona this season, more than tripling his previous tallies. The Brazil forward scored only 10 goals in each of his first two seasons after joining the Catalan club from Leeds United.

He is the second top scorer for Barcelona behind Robert Lewandowski, who has 40 goals so far. Raphinha led the team with 13 goals in the Champions League before it was eliminated by Inter Milan in the semifinals. The Brazilian has scored 18 goals in the league, and in addition to his double in the Spanish Super Cup, he also scored once in the Copa del Rey.

Raphinha has also been prolific with his assists, with 22 in 52 appearances this season. He had a total of 23 in the last two seasons combined.

Only Yamal has more assists than Raphinha in the Spanish league, with 12 against the nine by the Brazilian. The two have teamed up to near perfection and with the help of the likes of Lewandowski, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, Barcelona is set to celebrate yet another league title.

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Barcelona's Raphinha tackles Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz during the La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Raphinha reacts during the La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Raphinha, right, and Real Madrid's Lucas Vazquez fight for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Barcelona's Raphinha shoots by Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during the La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 11, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)