“I don’t wanna stop” - Raphinha explains why he kisses the Barcelona badge following standout display against Mallorca
Barcelona ace Raphinha has explained why he kissed the club's badge after scoring in his side's 5-1 win over Mallorca. La Blaugrana bounced back from a home defeat to Las Palmas to trounce Mallorca away and remain top of the league standings.
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, in Raphinha this season, has found a reliable performer and regular source of goals and assists. The former Rennes and Leeds United scored twice for for the Catalan giants against Mallorca to take his tally to 16 across all competitions this season.
Raphinha was one of the players that a section of Barcelona fans wanted sold in the summer, but he has performed at a high level despite the rumours. The 27-year-old said about kissing the Blaugrana badge (via Fabrizio Romano):
“Kissing the badge is a way of showing what I feel for this club. I love this club. I’m in the best form of my career. I don’t wanna stop. I want to do much more for Barça.”
Raphinha, who was captaining the side against Mallorca, scored both of his goals in the second half of the encounter. The first came from the penalty spot, and the second from close range.
La Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick was pleased to see his side pick up a vital win after a poor run of form domestically. His side drew one and lost two of their last three league games before the game at Mallorca.
Barcelona return to winning ways with Mallorca thrashing
Barcelona picked up a first win in four attempts as they went to Mallorca and claimed a convincing 5-1 victory.Teenage star Lamine Yamal performed impressively for the side as he made his first start since early November.
Hansi Flick opted to rest Robert Lewandowski, and replacement Ferran Torres opened the scoring after just 12 minutes. The home side equalized through Vedat Muriqi after 43 minutes to go into halftime on level terms.
Barcelona turned the screw in the second half, going 2-1 up in the 56th minute after Yamal won a penalty, which Raphinha converted. The 17-year-old then set up Raphinha with a brilliant trivela pass to double their advantage in the 74th minute. Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor scored in the 79th and 84th minutes, respectively, to put the game to bed.