La Liga 2026/27: Barcelona's Perfect Seven and Raphinha on Fire

Seven matchdays into the new season, La Liga pauses for the international break with one team running away from the pack and one player rewriting the scoring charts. While the chasing group trade blows, Barcelona keep winning, and Raphinha keeps finding the net. Here is the state of play in Spain.

Barcelona: seven out of seven

The two-time defending champions have turned the opening weeks into a statement. Barcelona have won all seven league games, scoring 31 goals and conceding only seven, and sit on 21 points: five clear of Atlético Madrid and Real Betis, six ahead of Real Madrid. Hansi Flick's side have produced fireworks, such as a 7-2 rout of promoted Racing Santander, as well as control, as in the 3-1 win at Sevilla that kept the perfect record intact. The pursuit of a 30th league title has begun at full speed.

Raphinha, the reinvented No. 9

At the heart of it all is Raphinha. Moved by Flick from the wing to centre-forward, the Brazilian has scored 12 goals in seven matches, just one short of his total for the whole of last season. In Seville, with Barcelona a goal down, he struck a perfect hat-trick: right foot, header and a left-footed chip, with Lamine Yamal providing two assists. He is only the third player to reach double figures after seven games of a Spanish top-flight season, after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Not bad company.

The Madrid derby reshapes the chase

The most dramatic afternoon came at the Metropolitano, where Atlético Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1. Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David struck early in the second half, Dean Huijsen was sent off, and Antonio Rüdiger's reply in the 89th minute came too late. The win lifted Atlético to second, while José Mourinho, back at the Bernabéu for a second spell, has already seen his team drop six points. Kylian Mbappé has seven league goals, yet Madrid look like a project still under construction.

Surprises and strugglers

Real Betis are the early dark horses, third on 16 points. Promoted Deportivo La Coruña, back after eight years away, are seventh, with only one defeat in seven games. Rayo Vallecano's Sergio Camello has seven goals despite his club playing away from their closed Vallecas stadium. At the bottom the mood is darker: Valencia, who dismissed Carlos Corberán in September, are 19th with four points, and Málaga are still searching for their first win.