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.

Lamine Yamal provided the dazzle, Pedri set the pace and Raphinha scored the crucial goals as Barcelona won the La Liga title by playing its most electric soccer since the heyday of Lionel Messi

Barcelona finally won La Liga on Thursday with a 2-0 win against Espanyol, the seven-point gap between them and Real Madrid officially too large to knock the new champions out of top spot.