Barcelona forward Raphinha expressed his disappointment over not winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or despite his exceptional performance throughout the season.
Last September, Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain claimed the prestigious award, beating Raphinha’s teammate Lamine Yamal. To Raphinha’s surprise, he ended up in fifth place.
“I was disappointed because I expected to be at least in the top three,” the Brazil international shared with Sofascore regarding his feelings about the Ballon d’Or results.
“I understood that winning is very challenging, especially since the Champions League has significant weight in this award. Still, I was upset with my final ranking. I truly believed I deserved first place for my contributions this season.”
“In my view, individual accolades shouldn’t hinge solely on one competition. I feel my overall performance, the titles I secured, the stats I achieved, and my contributions on the field justify that I deserved to win.”
“Nevertheless, I am satisfied and proud of my season. An individual award cannot diminish what I’ve accomplished last year.”
Raphinha had 34 goals and 25 assists across 56 appearances, helping Barça clinch LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Supercopa. He also scored 13 goals and provided nine assists in 14 Champions League matches as Barça progressed to the semifinals.
However, Raphinha acknowledged that failing to win the Champions League negatively impacted his chances.
“I came to realize that the Ballon d’Or is influenced by many factors, some of which are beyond my control,” he reflected.
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“If the award were to reflect the entire season, I believe I would be deserving of it. I would rank Lamine in second and Pedri in third, with Dembélé in fourth.”
“Since the award is determined by performance in a single competition, Dembélé rightfully earned it, particularly since he had an outstanding season.”
Dembélé netted 35 goals in 53 appearances across competitions for treble-winners PSG, who also secured the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France, in addition to their inaugural Champions League title.