Raphinha: ‘I was worthy’ of the Ballon d’Or over Ousmane Dembélé
Barcelona forward Raphinha expressed his disappointment over not securing the 2025 Ballon d’Or award following his remarkable season.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé claimed the esteemed accolade on September 2025, surpassing Raphinha’s teammate Lamine Yamal. Raphinha was taken aback to find himself in fifth place.
“I was disappointed because I anticipated being at least in the top three,” the Brazilian international stated to Sofascore when discussing the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
“I recognized that winning was quite challenging, as the Champions League plays a significant role in this award. Therefore, I was disheartened by my final position. I would rank myself first for the Ballon d’Or.”
“In my view, an individual accolade should not rely solely on one tournament. I believe I deserved to be in first place for my contributions throughout the season, the titles I secured, the statistics I achieved, and everything I brought to the pitch; I think I deserved to win.”
“I am content and pleased with the season I had. An individual award will not diminish what I accomplished last season.”
Raphinha recorded 34 goals and provided 25 assists across 56 appearances as Barça clinched LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Supercopa last season.
He also scored 13 goals and contributed nine assists in his 14 Champions League matches as Barça advanced to the semifinals.
However, Raphinha recognizes that not winning the Champions League impacted his chances.
“I eventually came to terms with the fact that the [Ballon d’Or] involves many factors beyond my control and other elements that are hard to define,” he remarked.
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“In my opinion, if it were judged on the entire season, I would deserve it. I would rank Lamine [second] and Pedri [third] in the final standings, with Dembélé in fourth.”
“Since the award is determined by a single tournament, Dembélé rightfully earned it, particularly due to his outstanding season.”
Dembélé netted 35 goals in 53 matches across all competitions for treble-winners PSG, who also captured Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, along with their first-ever Champions League title.
