Raphinha’s chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or took a dip after Hansi Flick’s Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Inter Milan – and the Brazilian winger, 28, has named six players who could beat him in this year’s race for football’s most prestigious individual trophy.
Formerly of Leeds United, Raphinha – who is widely regarded as one of the best wingers in world football – has taken his game to another level in Catalonia. This season alone, he’s plundered 32 goals and 25 assists in all competitions for Barcelona.
He’s been a key member of the post-Xavi resurgence at Barcelona and, alongside Lamine Yamal on the other wing, the club’s three-man attacking constellation is, perhaps, the deadliest in world football – and the race for the Ballon d’Or is hotting up.
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Thanks to the Champions League holding great weight in the Ballon d’Or debate, Raphinha – irrespective of his goalscoring exploits – may no longer be the leading favourite for the gong, which is currently held by Manchester City’s Rodri.
Regardless, he still remains a strong contender – and prior to his side’s premature European exit on Tuesday 6 May after a seven-goal thriller between Barcelona and Inter Milan, he listed six players that could argue about having a better season than the 33-cap and 11-goal Brazil international.
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Speaking to Brazilian journalist Isabela Pagliari in a recent interview, per SPORTbible, the Vitor Guimaraes academy graduate suggested that one of Lamine Yamal, Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe or Pedri could be holding the Ballon d’Or aloft in October 2025.
“Ballon d’Or? Lamine [Yamal], Salah, Mbappe too. Pedri, for me, one of the best in the world. Vinicius, for me, is always a candidate, even if his numbers are slightly below last year.”
Salah has led Arne Slot’s Liverpool to the Premier League title this campaign; Yamal and Pedri have been ever-crucial to Flick’s tyranny of brilliance in Spain and Mbappe has matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of debut goals for Real Madrid.
Elsewhere, Vinicius – who is commonly admired as one of the best dribblers in world football – may have endured a difficult season from a numbers perspective, but the fact that he came second last season could play into his hands. He's keen to get, what he believes, is justice.
It’s important to note that none of the aforementioned quartet remain in the 2024/25 Champions League, which could dent their chances of reigning supreme at the end of the year. Nor does his compatriot Rodrygo, a player Raphinha believes is ‘one of the best’ he has ever laid his eyes on.
Providing no shortage of superlatives for the Los Blancos winger, a player he's played alongside on 19 occasions for Brazil, he said: “And, of course, Rodrygo would be considered. He’s spectacular, phenomenal, out of the ordinary, one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
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Interestingly, Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele – who has recorded eye-catching numbers in 2024/25 – and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, both players whose respective sides remain in the Champions League, were both snubbed by the wide man.