Raphinha insists he ‘deserved’ Ballon d’Or ahead of Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal: 'I would place myself first'
Published 29/01/2026 at 17:36 GMT
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Raphinha says he should have won the 2025 Ballon d’Or ahead of Ousmane Dembele after a career-best season at Barcelona, where he claimed 34 goals and 26 assists and won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. The Brazilian finished fifth, despite ending as La Liga Player of the Year and joint Champions League top scorer. While “upset” he praised Dembele and Lamine Yamal’s campaigns.
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Raphinha claimed he should have won the 2025 Ballon d’Or ahead of Ousmane Dembele after a stand-out season at Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele won last year’s Ballon d’Or after registering 35 goals and 14 assists as the French outfit won an historic treble, including a first ever UEFA Champions League title.
Barcelona’s 18-year-old starlet Lamine Yamal finished second in the running, and also won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, while PSG’s Vitinha completed the top three.
Raphinha, however, languished down in fifth in the standings, despite a career-best campaign that saw him rack up 34 goals and 26 assists as Barcelona won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.
Indeed, the Brazil international ended the season as La Liga’s Player of the Year and the Champions League’s joint top scorer, alongside Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy.
"I was upset. I expected to be in the top three at least," Raphinha told SofaScore. "I would place myself first.
"An individual award cannot be based on a single competition. For the titles I won, the numbers I achieved, and everything I contributed, I think I deserved to win."
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Raphinha did concede however, that both Dembele and Yamal had "spectacular seasons".
On the record-breaking campaign, Raphinha added: "It was a season of excellence. We missed something in the Champions League, but the level was incredible.
"[Barcelona manager Hansi] Flick was the one who practically made me have the best season of my career. He gave me confidence when I think no one else did – not even myself.
"It’s a natural relationship. Over time we built trust and a freedom to talk about anything."
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Raphinha has even grander ambitions for the current campaign - the 29-year-old is looking to win Brazil’s record-extending sixth World Cup in America this summer, and a first triumph in the tournament since 2002.
When discussing Brazil’s group - Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland - Raphinha said: "People think football today is like it was 15 years ago. It’s not. Every team deserves respect.
"If we think we can just step on the pitch and win because of the shirt, we won’t.
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"[Manager Carlo Ancelotti] surprised me a lot. The way he works, the way he stays close to players, it makes a huge difference. After his arrival, we started reconnecting again."
Brazil will begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13. They will then face Haiti on June 20, before a meeting with Scotland on June 24.
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