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.
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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.
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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.
Journalist Nacho Jiménez posted 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.
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."
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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.
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“We will always support Raphinha. He is the future of Barcelona.”
Thoughts on Raphinha's performances this season?
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Featured Image Credit: DAZN - Twitter/@NachoJP_Topics: Raphinha, Barcelona, Transfers, La Liga
