Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. has ignited controversy by publicly criticizing the 2025 Ballon d’Or results, branding Barcelona winger Raphinha’s fifth-place ranking as “an absolute joke.”
The prestigious ceremony, held on Monday, September 22, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, crowned Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé as the men’s Ballon d’Or winner for his pivotal role in PSG’s historic first-ever Champions League triumph and stellar 2024-25 season.
Raphinha, 28, delivered an exceptional campaign for Barcelona, scoring 38 goals and providing 23 assists in 66 appearances across all competitions.
His contributions were instrumental in securing La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup titles for the Catalan club. Despite these achievements, Raphinha placed fifth in the Ballon d’Or rankings, trailing Dembélé, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, PSG’s Vitinha, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Neymar, taking to social media, expressed outrage, stating, “Raphinha in fifth? This is a joke.”Neymar’s remarks have fueled ongoing debates about the fairness of Ballon d’Or voting, particularly for Brazilian players.
The former PSG star, who finished ninth in the 2020 Ballon d’Or, and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., who placed second in 2024 behind Manchester City’s Rodri despite a standout season, have previously sparked discussions about potential biases in the voting process.
The 2025 Ballon d’Or top five highlights the dominance of PSG and Barcelona players, with Dembélé and Vitinha representing the French champions, alongside Yamal and Raphinha from Barcelona, and Salah as the sole Premier League contender.
As Neymar’s criticism reverberates, it adds fresh scrutiny to the Ballon d’Or’s selection process, raising questions about whether individual brilliance is being fairly recognized on football’s biggest stage.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com