Barcelona forward Raphinha has defended his Brazil teammate and Real Madrid frontman Vinicius Jr by saying that the latter’s goal celebrations are not provocative. Rather, it is something all Brazilians love to do.

Vinicius has sparked controversies several times in the past by dancing off in a celebratory way after scoring a goal. While the debate is that it is sometimes exasperating, the player, himself, has defended his style in that regard.

However, when asked about his opinion on that, Raphinha, who joined Barcelona in July 2022 for a fee that could rise up to €65 million, said that he likes his compatriot’s celebration, adding that when Ronaldinho and Antoine Griezmann did it, nobody talked about it.

“Yes, I like that Vinicius dances,” he told SER (h/t Mundo Deportivo). 

“I like that all Brazilians dance. I also like to dance but I don’t dance as well as Vinicius. Ronaldinho or Griezmann also danced and we don’t talk about them, we always dance,” he added.

Raphinha came with a reputation for being a tricky winger, and while he did get his fair share of chances early on, a return of a solitary goal and two assists has cost him his starting role, as the 25-year-old has only been named in the starting XI in one of his last five outings.

Speaking about it, he admitted that he is hurt by the outcome. “On an individual level, it is a bit hard. Being a striker, I like to score and assist and I only have one goal. It hurts a bit, scoring just one goal is complicated. But my teammates are helping me and I work hard so that the adaptation is as fast as possible.”

On the contrary, Vinicius is enjoying a great run of form under Carlo Ancelotti, having racked up ten goals and five assists already in competitions this season. Interestingly enough, three of those ten goals have come in his last three matches.