Raphinha walked the length of the Camp Nou pitch on his knees during Barcelona’s post-match celebrations on Saturday night – and for good reason.
The Catalan giants, who have lost just four La Liga games throughout the 2022/23 campaign, secured their first Spanish title in four years last week with an emphatic 4-2 win over local rivals Espanyol.
A few days later and Xavi’s men celebrated their success in front of the Camp Nou faithful, although the post-match scenes were somewhat dampened after top-four hopefuls Sociedad came out 2-1 winners.
Still, veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets lifted the trophy in front of over 89,000 fans – a hugely poignant moment considering the long-serving captain is set to leave at the end of the season.
Some time later, when the Camp Nou stands were almost empty, Brazilian winger Raphinha decided to knee-walk across the famous turf – a scene that soon went viral online.
So why does he do it? Raphinha has not publicly disclosed the reason – even after he did so when Leeds’ survived Premier League relegation on the final day of last season.
But it is widely regarded that in South America, a person vows to walk on their knees to repay God for granting them a wish.
JournalistNacho Jiménezposted the scenes on his social media account on Saturday night, and it soon picked up over 400,000 views, with many commenting on the ritual.
🚨 Raphinha walking across the entire pitch on his knees, similar to what he did at Leeds:
— Reshad Rahman (@ReshadRahman_) May 20, 2023
After the full-time whistle, Raphinha said in his post-match interview with beiN Sports that he wants to stay at Barcelona for “many more years to come.”
Earlier this month, he hit out at rumours linking him with a move to the Premier League after speculation emerged surrounding a possible move to Newcastle.
Arsenal were also reportedly interested but the former Leeds winger played down those rumours, saying: “Fake news. Whoever shared that news is not well informed [and] not professional.”
Xavi has publicly backed the Brazilian forward, who scored 10 goals and provided a further 11 assists in all competitions this term.
“He has been good. Not only for his goals, but also with his defensive work,” Xavi said. “He’s a [highly] criticised player. But he does a lot and we value him a lot.
“We will always support Raphinha. He is the future of Barcelona.”
❗Raphinha: “I want to stay at Barcelona for many years to come.” pic.twitter.com/TnRpx0FBft
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 20, 2023
Thoughts on Raphinha’s performances this season?
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