Robert Lewandowski’s disallowed goal for a millimetric offside in the Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad match has left a trail of controversy and humor in the football world. The VAR ruled that the Polish forward was slightly ahead, a decision that left his teammates far from pleased. Among them was Raphinha, who expressed his disbelief in a rather unique way on social media. 

Hours after the match, the Brazilian shared an Instagram story showing a series of images: the first displayed Lewandowski in the position that left him offside, and the second showed comically oversized feet that looked straight out of a cartoon. With laughing and facepalm emojis, Raphinha’s post suggested that, to be disqualified by such a small margin, Lewandowski must have had gigantic feet.

Raphinha's post quickly went viral, with thousands of fans sharing and commenting on it. For many, this was a way to mock the use of the semi-automatic offside technology, which has been criticized for its extreme precision in such tight plays. Raphinha’s joke resonated with those who feel that football loses some of its essence when such minuscule decisions affect the course of a game. 

The Brazilian’s reaction added to the indignation of other players and Barcelona fans, who criticized the Technical Referee Committee (CTA) for a review they consider excessive. Goalkeeper Iñaki Peña also voiced his discomfort, calling for an investigation into the decision. However, the CTA confirmed that the goal had to be disallowed, asserting that the system had made no error in its ruling.