Raphinha wants to sign a new deal and retire at Barcelona: "I hope to finish my career here"

Nine goals in seven league matchdays and eleven total counting the Champions League. Those are the numbers backing up what Raphinha just said out loud: he wants to stay at Barcelona for good. And he said it right as his name sits atop the LaLiga scoring charts, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.

The Brazilian is under contract until 2028, but that hasn't stopped him from speaking openly about his future in an interview with RAC1. No dodging, no stock phrases to get by.

Yes, I plan to sign a new contract. When I renewed my deal, I signed through 2028 thinking I'd be 30 or 31, and I didn't know how I'd get to that age. Given how I've started the season, I feel like I have a few more years in me, and I'd be very happy to extend my contractRaphinha

And he went even further, making clear his goal is to retire in Blaugrana colors:

I hope to finish my career here without having to go anywhere elseRaphinha

What's striking is that this openness from the player comes right after the club itself made the first move. Barely a week ago, Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, had already publicly acknowledged that the club wants to sit down and discuss a contract revision. The Portuguese executive highlighted not just Raphinha's performance, but also his standing in the locker room.

Every player has his pride, but I think he's built his story at the club, earning the respect of his teammates in the locker room. He's happy here and that matters. The coach has gotten the most out of him through his handling of the emotional side. I see him doing very wellDeco

On the contract that runs through 2028, Deco was just as transparent: the club doesn't want surprises and is looking to keep a balance in its contract renewals.

We're always paying attention to our players so that renewals don't catch us off guard, and then there's the meritocracy, making sure contracts are balanced and there are no issues. We'll talk with himDeco

From winger to killer

What Raphinha is doing this season carries a special twist: it comes after a previous campaign marked by physical problems, and on top of that, playing in a position that wasn't his own. When Barcelona couldn't close the deal for Julian Alvarez, Hansi Flick decided to try something different and moved him to center forward. So far, the gamble couldn't be working out better.

The statement moment came with the hat trick against Racing de Santander, which left him alone at the top of the scoring charts with those 9 goals in 7 matchdays, ahead of Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, both on 7. And he didn't stop there: in Barca's Champions League opener he added two more goals, for a total of 11 goals in 8 games played so far this season.

With those numbers and with the words exchanged between player and executive, Raphinha's contract renewal is starting to look less like a question of if and more a question of when.