Barcelona winger Raphinha has publicly criticised the Ballon d’Or voting system and implied that the outcome of the football’s most prestigious individual award can be influenced by the voters’ personal relations with the players. The Brazil international was ranked fifth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or results despite having delivered an excellent campaign for the Catalan club.
Raphinha totalled 56 goal involvements, directly out of which he scored 34 goals and supplied 22 assists in 57 appearances as Barcelona won the domestic treble and got to the Champions League semi-finals. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old was behind the winner Ousmane Dembélé, as well as Lamine Yamal, Vitinha and Mohamed Salah, in the final standings.
The Ballon d’Or nominees are decided by France Football and L’Équipe, and journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries vote for their 10 best players. Talking to Cadena SER, Raphinha admitted that it is great being recognised, but doubted the fairness of the system, implying that if you are “friendly with the people who vote”, that might help you.
Although he took home the Toresky Award for Best Athlete of the Year afterwards, Raphinha stressed that team accomplishments are what matter most to him. The Spanish giant has already secured Sthe upercopa de España this season and is still in the driving seat for the LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles. The winger has been sidelined due to injuries this season, but he is determined to help the team in win more trophies this season.
