Barcelona Star Raphinha Speaks About Ballon d’Or Nomination: “Already a Victory for Me”
- Barcelona attacker Raphinha is one of the main contenders to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or award
- Raphinha was nominated for the award for the first time alongside three of his Barcelona teammates
- The Brazilian attacker has spoken about his nomination and his chances of winning the award
Barcelona forward Raphinha has spoken about his chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or after being nominated for the prestigious award.
France Football nominated Raphinha and three other Barcelona players after a great season during which they won the Spanish domestic treble.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by Transfermarkt, the Brazilian scored and assisted in all competitions he played for the Blaugrana last season, totalling 34 goals and 24 assists.
He scored 13 goals and provided nine assists in the UEFA Champions League, leading both stats in the tournament and was named La Liga’s best player.
Raphinha speaks about Ballon d'Or
Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal is favoured ahead of Raphinha in the race for the Ballon d'Or despite being the Catalans' best player last season.
The former Premier League star is unbothered by this and believes being nominated for the award is already a victory for him, and his target is to get better.
“I think I will do my best to be better than I was,” he said, as quoted by FotMob.
“With everything I've been through in my career, being at the ceremony is already a victory for me. One of the biggest in my professional life. It's not really a goal that I set for myself.
“My goal is to be better than I was yesterday, to be better than I was last season. So, if I'm at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, that's already a victory for me.”
The former Leeds United attacker has got off the mark for this season, scoring Barcelona’s first goal of the season during their 3-0 win over RCD Mallorca.
Source: Getty Images
Rashford indecisive over Ballon d'Or winner
Barcelona loan star Marcus Rashford has praised the talent in the squad after linking up with the La Liga champions from Manchester United.
The England international attacker shared his thoughts about the Ballon d'Or, and though he did not pick an outright winner, he believes Yamal will win it one day.
“If he [Yamal] doesn’t win it this year, he will win it in the future,” Rashford told Sport.
“[Ousmane] Dembélé, Raphinha, they all deserve it. It’s hard to pick one, but they’re all mature and have had a fantastic season. Lamine is so young that he’s sure to win it.”
Barcelona have an option to buy the Manchester United academy graduate permanently, as he will not return to Old Trafford as long as Ruben Amorim is still in charge.
Why Dembele could lose Ballon d'Or
Legit.ng reported on why Ousmane Dembele could lose the Ballon d'Or despite being the overwhelming favourite to win the coveted individual award.
Paris Saint-Germain legend Pedro Miguel Pauleta believes having nine players from the team nominated could work against the France international.
Source: Legit.ng
