Barcelona head into Sunday's La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid with Raphinha in impressive form, strengthening the belief that the Catalan giants may have found their ideal attacking solution after missing out on Julian Alvarez.

The Brazilian forward has established himself as a key figure under manager Hansi Flick, thriving in the centre-forward position despite initially having reservations about playing in an unfamiliar role.

Barcelona had attempted to sign Alvarez from Atletico during the summer transfer window, but their pursuit strained relations between the two Spanish clubs. The Argentina international had also expressed interest in joining the Catalan side but ultimately remained at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Barcelona were subsequently fined approximately €600 by the Spanish Football Federation over their approach for the striker. Alvarez later apologised to Atletico supporters in an effort to ease tensions.

With the transfer falling through, Flick turned to Raphinha, who has responded with outstanding performances in attack.

The 29-year-old has scored 19 goals in 13 appearances across all competitions this season, becoming one of Barcelona's most influential players.

His impressive form has also coincided with a new contract, with the winger signing an extension until 2030 on Thursday, a reward for his contributions since Flick took charge in 2024.

Barcelona initially enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, winning 11 consecutive matches across all competitions before suffering defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Raphinha struggled in those two matches after sustaining a thigh injury while on international duty with Brazil in September. He was particularly subdued during Barcelona's 4-2 Champions League defeat to PSG before scoring in the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid.

However, the Brazilian has since rediscovered his form, scoring four goals across the subsequent matches against Alaves and Aston Villa.

Raphinha admitted that he initially had reservations when Flick asked him to operate as Barcelona's main striker after the club failed to secure Alvarez's signature.

The forward was concerned about the expectations associated with replacing Robert Lewandowski in the central attacking position, as well as adapting to playing with his back to goal.

"You're in the spot where before there was only (Robert) Lewandowski," Raphinha said.

"If you don't score goals, people judge you for that.

"I had a few doubts because of that and also about playing with my back to goal, but in the end, I think I've done well and I've liked it."

Those concerns have since faded as the Brazilian continues to deliver goals and performances for the Spanish champions.

His teammate Fermin Lopez previously highlighted Raphinha's impact, saying: "We give him the balls and he puts them in the net."

Meanwhile, Alvarez has endured a comparatively difficult start to life at Atletico, although his performances have improved in recent weeks. The Argentine has scored two goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.

Sunday's encounter at the Metropolitano Stadium presents Raphinha with another opportunity to demonstrate his importance to Barcelona as they seek to maintain their position at the top of La Liga.

Atletico, who are second in the standings, trail the reigning champions by two points and will be looking to take advantage of home support to move above them.

The fixture also carries added significance for Barcelona, who were eliminated from last season's Champions League by Atletico in the quarter-finals, with Raphinha missing the decisive stages through injury.

With the Brazilian now back to full fitness and leading the attack, Flick will be counting on him to help Barcelona overcome Diego Simeone's side.

His performances have also reduced the urgency for Barcelona to revisit their pursuit of Alvarez, with Raphinha increasingly looking like the attacking solution the club needed.

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