Raphinha's Transformation into Barcelona's Unbelievable No 9

Hansi Flick went hunting for a striker this summer and came up empty. The move for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez collapsed, the market closed, and Barcelona looked light through the middle after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

So Flick created one.

He dragged Raphinha in from the wing, dropped him on the penalty spot and told him to lead the line for a club that cannot afford a misstep this season. It was a bold call. It already looks like a defining one.

“Rapha has played fantastic. He is on another level – he’s unbelievable,” Flick said ahead of Sunday’s LaLiga trip to Levante. “When he’s like this, he’s, for me, one of the best players in the world.”

That’s not casual praise. That’s a manager nailing his colours to a 29-year-old who, not long ago, was terrorising full-backs for Leeds United rather than bullying centre-halves in Spain.

From touchline to penalty spot

The numbers tell you why Flick is so emphatic. Barcelona have opened the league campaign with four straight wins and added a midweek Champions League victory for good measure. At the heart of it all: Raphinha, now the reference point in a reshaped attack.

Eight goals in five games from a “converted” winger. That’s not a stopgap. That’s a system.

He hasn’t done it alone. Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have flanked him to form a front line that already looks like one of the most explosive in Europe. Pace out wide, a ruthless finisher in the middle, and a coach willing to lean into the chaos his forwards can create.

The pressure they generate high up the pitch has pinned teams back, and the goals have flowed. Flick, though, is determined to remind everyone this is not a one-man show.

A squad built on flexibility

Asked about his options through the middle, Flick rattled off names with the calm of a coach who knows he can change shape without losing threat.

“Raphinha, Gabby and Hamza are three different profiles, but there are other ways we could play,” he said. “Anthony and Karim can also play in this position. Or Dani Olmo. Dani has showed us in last two years he can play there – the same with Fermin Lopez. We have a lot of options.”

That versatility is Flick’s security blanket. If Raphinha dips, if injuries bite, if opponents finally work out how to slow this Barcelona down, the German can shuffle the pieces without ripping up his entire blueprint.

For now, though, there is no sign of slowing. The attack is humming, the league table smiles back at them, and the coach sounds like a man enjoying the ride.

Cubarsi anchors a new-look Barcelona

All the noise has been about Raphinha and Yamal. Flick made sure the cameras didn’t leave without hearing about his defence.

Barcelona have conceded only three goals so far this season. That platform has allowed the forwards to play with freedom, to take risks, to press and run and improvise without constantly glancing over their shoulders.

At the centre of that improvement stands Pau Cubarsi, still a teenager, already a mainstay.

“For me, after the World Cup, [Cubarsi] played fantastic. For me, he’s playing on another level at the moment,” Flick said. “I am really happy he has the confidence, but also he’s very focused. With the body, he also improved physically. This is very important, especially for this position. Also with the ball, he’s playing really good, which helps us a lot, so amazing about that.”

Flick even dipped into the data to underline the change. He highlighted Barcelona’s xG in every game and, crucially, the xG against them, which he says is “much better than last season.” The numbers back up the eye test: this is a side that concedes fewer chances, defends higher and recovers the ball quicker.

The glamour is up front. The balance is at the back.

Top of the table, and a test in Levante

Barcelona travel to Levante on Sunday with a perfect league record and a target on their backs. They sit two points clear of Alaves and three ahead of Real Madrid, who have already dropped points and handed Flick’s side an early advantage.

There are no new injury concerns after their European exertions. The squad is stable, the rotation options are clear, and the only notable absentees remain long-term injuries Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji.

Flick has his new No 9, a teenage centre-back playing beyond his years, and a dressing room that suddenly looks deep rather than thin.

Barcelona have started like a team intent on staying where they are – looking down on the rest. The question now is simple: can anyone knock them off while Raphinha is playing “on another level”?