Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal dominated the conversation around who deserved the 2025 Ballon d’Or, an award ultimately claimed by the PSG star. In a decision that continues to spark debate, Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has now revealed who he believes should have been the true winner.
FC Barcelona hosted Atletico on Tuesday at the Camp Nou, completing a 3–1 comeback after the Colchoneros struck first in the 19th minute through Alex Baena. Over the weekend, Simeone had already spoken about the matchup and his well-known admiration for Raphinha, who indeed proved a problem for Atletico, scoring the equalizer in the 26th minute.
Speaking to Movistar after the loss, the Atletico Madrid boss was asked again about his fascination with the Brazilian winger, and the Argentine manager didn’t hesitate: “He can play everywhere. As a winger, as a wing back, as a midfielder, as a striker. He scores goals, he presses, he does everything.”
Simeone closed his comments with a blunt message that captured his admiration. “He’s a player who, last year, I don’t know how he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. This is football and people can pick whoever they want — I’m picking him. I really love him,” Simeone stated.
Raphinha of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring against Atletico Madrid.
In the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting, Raphinha ultimately finished fifth with 620 points, earning 9.25% of the vote. Dembélé won with 20.60%, while Yamal finished runner-up with 15.81%. The surprise for many came when Raphinha finished behind fourth-placed Mohamed Salah, who earned 9.81% of the vote after winning only the Premier League title.
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Raphinha and the award-season snubs
Simeone’s comments echo the sentiment shared by many Barcelona fans who felt Raphinha was undervalued despite his consistent impact. And the Ballon d’Or was not the only major award where the Brazilian was overlooked.
In early November, FIFPro announced the 2024–25 FIFPro Best XI featuring PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, once again leaving the Brazilian out. Raphinha didn’t stay quiet, posting a series of 23 Instagram stories highlighting his accomplishments from the previous season.
Last week, ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Chelsea, Raphinha finally addressed the Ballon d’Or snub publicly. “I deserved much more, but these are individual awards, and collectively we missed the Champions League — that’s what we want. These aren’t things I control. People, journalists… I only control what happens on the pitch,” he said, making his frustration clear.
