Raphinha Spotted Pouring Water on Ball Before Taking Barcelona Penalty

Football players and managers are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to gain subtle advantages over their opponents. It’s a game of extremely thin margins, after all, where the slightest tweak can make a major difference.

Barcelona’s Raphinha may have unearthed a clever new ploy to gain an advantage when taking penalties. In recent years we’ve seen numerous goalkeepers write notes on water bottles, in order boost their chances of saving spot-kicks, but now outfield players might be about to get their own back.

Barca were awarded a dramatic late penalty during their La Liga clash against Celta Vigo on Saturday. The Catalan giants had taken a 1-0 lead through Ferran Torres in the 12th minute but found themselves 3-1 down by 62 minutes thanks to a hat-trick from Borja Iglesias.

Dani Olmo made it 3-2 in the 65th minute before Raphinha levelled the scores shortly afterwards. The Brazil international, who is currently the frontrunner to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or award, was then presented with the opportunity to win the game from the penalty spot in the dying seconds of stoppage time.

Spanish TV cameras spotted Raphinha subtly pouring a bottle of water over the ball moments before positioning it on the penalty spot while everyone else was distracted by the decision itself. And the reason why has now been revealed.

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Raphinha Spotted Pouring Water on Ball

Theory emerges explaining why

It’s claimed the reason Raphinha poured water over the ball was to make it both heavier and slipperier, making it harder for the ‘keeper to predict or grab in the process. The South American then stepped up and lashed the ball with unerring accuracy past Celta’s Vicente Guaita. Watch the clip below:

It’s possible that we’ll see more players in other leagues copying Raphinha’s tactic over the coming weeks and months. Whether it works is still up for debate, but it’s easy to understand the Barcelona star’s logic. That said, rival fans aren’t impressed with the tactic. One Real Madrid supporter wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Raphinha dunking the ball before taking the penalty, no matter how much they cheat. It’s all a shame, nobody believes in this competition anymore.”

Raphinha’s winning goal means Barcelona currently boast a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid with only six matches of the season remaining. If the Catalan giants can cling on and secure the title, Raphinha’s chances of winning his first Ballon d’Or this year will inevitably increase.