Raphinha scores hat-trick in 100th appearance for Barca
Brazilian winger Raphinha celebrated his 100th appearance for FC Barcelona with a hat-trick goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League encounter on Wednesday night.
Once a Rossoneri, always a Rossoneri.
The aforementioned saying rings true for former AC Milan midfielder Kaka, whose celebrated the Rossoneri’s return to European football with an Instagram post.
The silky Brazilian had led the Milan to their seventh UEFA Champions League title in 2007 and was widely regarded as the best player on the planet that season.
The 35-year-old Kaka was the last man to win Ballon d’ Or before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo began their world dominance that has lasted a decade.
Milan, who were bought by a Chinese consortium in April, spent heavily in the summer transfer market in a bid reestablish the seven-time Champions League winners as European heavyweights.
Leonardo Bonucci, Andre Silva, Hakan Calhanoglu were just some of the big names that made their way towards the San Siro and their first European tie of the season was a statement of intent.
The Vincenzo Montella-coached side thrashed FK Austria Vienna 5-1 away and hence, belied their favourite tag for this year’s UEFA Europe League title.
Their progress in the Serie A, however, has not been ideal as they suffered a setback on the weekend with a 4-1 loss at Lazio to leave them in seventh place in the league table.
Kaka, said to be considering retirement, has been starring for Orlando City FC in Major League Soccer but fans are hoping the Brazilian may come back to Italy for a third stint in the future.
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