Raphinha's Ballon d'Or boldness: 'I deserved to win it'
Barcelona's Brazilian winger Raphinha claims he should have won the Ballon d'Or based on his stellar season, while also praising Hansi Flick for believing in him.
Barcelona’s Brazilian star Raphinha reckons he was robbed of football’s top individual prize after his stellar 2024-25 campaign, claiming his all-round brilliance deserved the golden ball.
‘More than one competition’
The Barça winger has taken his previous frustrations up a notch in a recent interview with SofaScore, where he didn’t mince his words about finishing fifth in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
“In my opinion, an individual award can’t be based on a single competition,” Raphinha declared, clearly having a pop at the voting criteria. The Brazilian believes his consistent performance across all competitions should have carried more weight.
Looking at his numbers, you can see why he’s got the right hump. The lad racked up an impressive 34 goals and 26 assists last season - the sort of stats that would have most players thinking they’d be in with a shout for the big prize.
Fair play to him though, he did acknowledge that teammates Dembélé and Lamine Yamal also had blinding seasons.
Flick’s faith
Raphinha was particularly effusive about Barcelona gaffer Hansi Flick, crediting the German for his career-best form:
“Flick was practically the one who made me have the best season of my career. He gave me confidence when I think nobody else did, not even myself.”
This relationship has clearly been transformative, with the Brazilian hitting his stride under Flick’s guidance and producing his most consistent performances in a Barcelona shirt.
Brazil and beyond
Interestingly, Raphinha also spoke warmly about his experience working under Carlo Ancelotti with the Brazilian national team, praising the Italian’s man-management:
“The way he works, how he stays close to the players… it makes a huge difference. With his arrival at the national team, we reconnected.”
As for his post-playing plans? Don’t expect to see Raphinha in the dugout anytime soon. He’s ruled out becoming a manager, citing the demands of the job and its impact on family life. Too much aggro for the Brazil star, by the sounds of it.