Raphinha knelt down the length of the Camp Nou after Barcelona won their first La Liga title in four years - and for good reason.
The Catalan giants, having lost just four La Liga games during the 2022/23 campaign, won the Spanish championship last week with a bold 4-2 victory over local rivals Espanyol.
A few days later, Xavi's men celebrated their success in front of loyal supporters at Camp Nou, although the atmosphere after the match was somewhat quiet after the top four Sociedad prospects won 2-1. .
However, veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets lifted the historic La Liga trophy in front of more than 89,000 fans - a deeply poignant moment when the long-serving captain will be gone at the end of the season.
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Then, when the Camp Nou was relatively empty, Brazilian winger Raphinha decided to walk on his knees on the famous grass - a sight that quickly went viral online. So why did he do it? Raphinha has not publicly revealed why - even after doing so as Leeds survived relegation from the Premier League on the last day of last season.
But it is believed that in South America, a person swears to kneel to thank God for granting them a wish.
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Journalist Nacho Jiménez posted the scenes to his social media account on Saturday night, and it quickly amassed more than 400,000 views, with many commenting on the ceremony.
Raphinha knelt across the pitch, similar to what he did at Leeds:
pic.twitter.com/4KGeMfcK93
– Reshad Rahman (@ReshadRahman_) May 20, 2023
After the final whistle, Raphinha said in a post-match interview with beiN Sports that he wants to stay at Barcelona for "many years to come".
Earlier this month, he dismissed rumors regarding a move to the Premier League following speculation about a possible move to Newcastle. Advertisement
Arsenal are also said to be interested, but the former Leeds winger has denied those rumours, saying:
"Fake news. Anyone sharing this news is uninformed [and] unprofessional.
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