FC Barcelona forward Raphinha took off his jersey and revealed his message of support for fellow Brazilian Vinicius Junior.

The message, which included anti-racism words in Portuguese and the phrase “we are together, Vini,” was on his undershirt and visible when Raphinha was substituted off in the second half of Barcelona’s 3-1 loss to Valladolid on Tuesday. He raised his right fist while leaving the field.

It was the first matchday in the Spanish league since the outpouring of support for Vinicius Junior following the latest case of racial abuse against the Real Madrid star forward on the weekend.

Barcelona’s second consecutive defeat since clinching the title with games to spare was overshadowed by the fallout from that.

Players from Barcelona and Valladolid held a banner before the match with the words “racists out of football,” which is one of the slogans of a campaign against racism launched jointly by the Spanish league, Spanish federation and the government’s top sports authority.

Anti-racism slogans were also shown during the broadcast of the game.

The win moved Valladolid three points clear of the relegation zone. The club is owned by former Brazil striker Ronaldo.

Barcelona were coming off a 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad at home after securing their first Spanish league title since 2019 in the previous round.

Alba to leave

Defender Jordi Alba will leave Barcelona at the end of the season after 11 years with the Catalan outfit.

The 34-year-old Spain international has played more than 450 games for Barcelona, winning the Champions League in 2015, six La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey titles, four Spanish Super Cups and the Club World Cup.

Alba came up through the club’s famous La Masia academy, but left in 2005 and made a name for himself at Valencia, before rejoining the Catalan club in 2012. “After 11 seasons, I am very proud of everything we achieved together,” Alba said.