RAPHINHA WINS AUGUST LALIGA PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Raphinha has been named the EA Sports LaLiga Player of the Month for August, LaLiga announced September 11, 2026, after the Barcelona captain scored in each of the club's first three matches of the season. He beat Jude Bellingham, Alex Baena, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nahuel Tenaglia in the final vote.

Three August Games Produced Five Goals and an Assist

Raphinha opened the season with two goals and an assist against Elche, scored again in the win over Athletic Club, then closed the month with a two-goal performance in a 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano, where he also equalized in the 19th minute before Barcelona pulled away. Those three results left Raphinha with 5 goals and 1 assist from August alone, and Barcelona with a perfect record through its first three league matches of the season.

The Form Carried Into September Before the Vote Closed

The award covers August only, but Raphinha kept scoring once the calendar turned. He added a goal against Valencia in Barcelona's first league match of September, taking his season total to 6 goals and 1 assist through 4 league games, all won, and making him the sixth player in club history to score in each of a season's opening four La Liga matches, a list that includes Cesar Rodriguez, Kubala, Cayetano Re, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cesc Fabregas. He also scored twice in Barcelona's Champions League opener against Feyenoord, a 5-1 win where Lamine Yamal supplied four goal involvements of his own.

Barcelona Has Won This Award More Than Any Other Club

Raphinha's August prize adds to a club record. Barcelona has now collected the LaLiga Player of the Month award 24 times, more than any other club, spread across eight different players. Lionel Messi leads that list with eight wins, followed by Lamine Yamal with four, Luis Suarez with four and Robert Lewandowski with three. Raphinha has now won the award twice himself, matching a first win from August 2024, and he succeeds Yamal, who took the season's final award before Raphinha's August form pushed his name back onto the list.

The Armband Arrived Before the Trophy Did

Barcelona named Raphinha team captain before this award arrived, and his form has matched the title. Playing under Hansi Flick, the Brazilian has become the attacking focal point Barcelona's August fixtures were built around, starting all three matches and finishing each one on the scoresheet. The vote, decided on LaLiga's official site, put him ahead of Bellingham, Baena, Aubameyang and Tenaglia, none of whom scored more than Raphinha did across August's three rounds.