Sports
‘Incredible’ Raphinha Should’ve Won the 2025 Ballon d’Or
Although it feels rather strange to suggest that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi are no longer in the running for the Ballon d’Or, the award is in safe hands with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal hoping to dominate in the foreseeable future. But Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone snubbed the Spaniard when naming the ‘incredible’ player he thought should have won it in September.
Many expected Yamal – who came runner-up behind Paris Saint-Germain talisman Ousmane Dembele – to sweep up the prestigious honour’s most recent edition given how many defenders were left in his wake across the year. It was Dembele, in his homeland of France, who became the latest winner however.
Joining esteemed company, of course, Dembele’s starring role in PSG’s maiden Champions League triumph swayed the chances in his favour. It was later revealed that he won by an eye-catching 1,380 votes – 321 more than the votes received by Yamal (1,059). But who, in the eyes of Simeone, should have been crowned the latest recipient at Theatre du Chatelet, Paris?
Simeone Claims ‘Incredible’ Player Should’ve Won the Ballon d’Or in 2025
Dembele and Yamal were neck and neck in the lead up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony in November, but it was the former who followed in the footsteps of Manchester City’s Rodri, who had usurped Vinicius Jr to the award the year prior. PSG midfielder Vitinha had to settle for a bronze medal, while fourth place was reserved for Liverpool and Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah.
It was fifth-place Raphinha, who joined the Catalans from Leeds United in 2022, who Simeone believes should have reigned triumphant in the French capital in September. Vitally important to Hansi Flick and his entourage, the Brazilian contributed to Barca’s domestic treble success with an eye-catching 36 strikes and a further 24 assists last season.
Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, who went ahead in the 19th minute courtesy of Alex Baena, were recently on the receiving end of Raphinha’s brilliance in a La Liga match-up. Three goals were then scored by the reigning champions of Spain, and they ran out 3–1 victors and the comeback was sparked by Raphinha’s strike in the 26th minute.
Simeone – who does not hold a Ballon d’Or vote – claimed that Raphinha, widely regarded as one of the best players in world football, deserved to be handed the award by Barcelona royalty Ronaldinho (the worthy recipient in 2005) earlier this year. Speaking in the aftermath of their defeat, he said:
“Raphinha is an incredible player. He can play everywhere. As a winger, as a midfielder, as a striker, or even as a wing-back. He can score, can create, he presses and runs. I don’t know how he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. For me, I would choose him always.”
At the time, it seemed incredible that Raphinha, despite his cinematic performances throughout the allotted time and the numbers that backed it up, finished in fifth spot and far from the top three. And, although you’re well within your rights to disagree with Simeone’s admission, it’s hard to counter-argue the fact that he should’ve been nearer the summit of the rankings.
The Race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or Is On – What Are Raphinha’s Chances?
Dembele’s victory will forever be written in the memory books of football, but all eyes are now on the 2026 edition, which will be handed out in just less than a year from the time of writing. Will the dancing Frenchman hold on to his crown or will there be a new winner? And, more importantly, does Raphinha have a chance of making Simeone’s admission come true?
The winner will likely be determined by which team wins the Champions League but, as things stand, the talismanic trio of Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland all stand a good chance given their respective goal tallies so far this season.
Ballon d’Or 2026 Power Rankings
Tracking the leading contenders to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award in 2026.
Raphinha, however, has endured a (by his 2024/25 standards, at least) slow start to the current campaign, and he’ll have to up the ante between now and the end of the 2025/26 season to shoot himself into contention for the most prestigious individual award of them all. As things stand, he’s notched seven goal contributions (four goals and three assists) in 11 outings across all competitions.
