Raphinha continues to shine for club and country, making his first appearance wearing Brazil's iconic number 10 shirt, and he did it in style.
Knowing the pressure was on him to deliver wearing such a historic number, Raphinha lived up to the expectations in La Seleçao's World Cup qualifier game vs. Venezuela, scoring a beautiful free kick that hit the post before going into the back of the net, adding even more aesthetic beauty to the action.
As if the goal wasn't memorable enough, Raphinha decided to pay tribute to Neymar by celebrating as he did so many times wearing that iconic shirt. The weight and responsibility of donning Brazil's number 10 wasn't lost on Raphinha and he made sure to remember its previous owner, who became Brazil's all time leading scorer with that number on his back.
Injuries have kept Neymar away from the national team for over a year. The 32-year-old player will have to wait until 2025 to make his long awaited return to La Seleçao, in the meantime, his shirt and number appear to be well taken care off.
Raohinha has been one of the best players on the planet this season, with 25 G+A in 20 games so far for Barcelona and Brazil. Like Neymar and Ronaldinho before him, La Seleçao's number 10 shirt seems to have formed a special bond with Barcelona's Brazilian star wingers. Raphinha now has 10 goals and 6 assists in 30 games played for Brazil.
Despite Raphinha's efforts, Brazil couldn't leave with the three points from Venezuela and had to settle for a 1–1 draw. Dorival Júnior's side hasn't been as imposing as previous Brazilian team's, still, the five time World Cup winners sit among the direct qualification spots in the standings, although the pack is closing in for what will surely be a high-drama final stretch of South America's World Cup qualifiers.
Raphinha and Brazil now face a tough home matchup against Uruguay on Sunday, Nov. 19. The winner of the contest will end the year in the top three of the standings, but a poor result could see either nation drop as far down as sixth.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Raphinha Honors Neymar With Goal Celebration Wearing Brazil's No. 10 Shirt.
