Raphinha and Fermin target an achievement not seen since Messi's final season

Barça play against Rayo Vallecano tonight

Raphinha and Fermín López have been sensational for Barcelona this season, topping the club's scoring charts after each struck twice in the 5-0 win over Elche and once in the 2-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao. Tonight brings a fresh target against Rayo Vallecano: score again and they join an elite group of 14 players to have found the net in Barcelona's first three La Liga matches.

According to the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", Lionel Messi was the last player to manage it, in his final season with Barcelona (2020-2021), scoring twice against Elche (3-0), twice against Athletic Bilbao (2-3) and once against Villarreal (4-0).

Curiously, Barcelona's all-time top scorer with 672 goals pulled off this treble only in his last season in La Liga.

Barcelona's golden era produced others. Samuel Eto'o hit four goals in three matches in 2006-2007, Zlatan Ibrahimović scored five in his first five in 2009-2010, and Cesc Fàbregas managed four in the opening four of 2011-2012.

Other names scored in the first three matches and then stopped: Ángel Arocha (1930-1931), Josep Samitier (1931-1932), Josep Maria Fusté (1963-1964), Pedro Zaballa (1966-1967), Bernd Schuster (1981-1982), Hristo Stoichkov (1990-1991) and Luis Enrique (2002-2003).

Ladislao Kubala went further still, netting in all four opening matches of the 1953-1954 season, a feat matched by Cayetano Re in 1964-1965.

César Rodríguez shares the record with Ibrahimović for the finest scoring run at the start of a La Liga season. He struck in three matches in 1947-1948, then stretched it to five in 1950-1951, scoring nine goals (4-2-1-1-1). It's a tantalising challenge for Raphinha and Fermín López.