It's been a very promising start to the Hansi Flick era in Barcelona as we head into the October international break.
Los Culés are in first place in La Liga with eight wins and one loss so far, three points clear of rivals Real Madrid. After a complicated start to its Champions League season with a loss against Monaco, Flick's team quickly corrected course and dismantled Young Boys 5-0 to kickstart its CL campaign.
The team responded well to the arrival of the former Bayern Munich and German national team manager. Lamine Yamal continues to display his immense potential that already firmly places him as one of the best players in the world. At 36-years-old Robert Lewandowski is back to his best under the coach with which he won a treble with Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 season.
Although arguments could be made for Yamal and Lewandowski, there's another player whose impact in this early season has been remarkable.
Barcelona Early Season MVP: Raphinha
The 27-year-old Brazilian has been brilliant so far this season. He's the team's second top scorer and the joint assist leader through eleven games in all competitions. He has five goals and four assists in La Liga and one of each in the Champions League. He's the only Barcelona player with at least one goal and assist in both competitions.
Flick has unlocked a level Raphinha hadn't showed in his first two seasons with the club. Whether it's playing on the wings or as a No. 10, Raphinha has been stellar in all areas of Barça's attack. He looks confident, dynamic and dangerous in every action he's involved in and it's clear Flick recognizes that. Nobody has played more minutes for Barcelona this season than Raphinha, and he's made the most of the opportunities.
It's not only the numbers on the field that are valuable, Raphinha has also emerged as one of Barcelona's leaders, wearing the captains armband regularly ever since the injury to Marc-André ter Stegen. Regular captains ter Stegen, Ronald Araújo and Frenkie de Jong have missed significant time with injuries in the early season, so Raphinha has stepped up in their absence, becoming a leader for a squad that is full of young players.
Raphinha has found the consistency many criticized him lacking in his first two seasons since he arrived from Leeds United. What once were sporadic flashes have become the norm since Flick arrived and it's not an exaggeration to say that through eleven games Raphinha is playing the best soccer of his career.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Way Too Early Team MVP: Barcelona.
