Neymar Jr Expresses Disbelief About Ballon d’Or Top Five Ranking
- Neymar Jr has expressed his true feelings about the final Ballon d'Or rankings after the award ceremony
- Ousmane Dembele won the top prize, beating competition from Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal
- Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal midfield dynamo Vitinha made the last podium spot for the 2025 award
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Neymar Jr has made his true feelings clear about the final Ballon d'Or rankings, particularly the top five after the ceremony on Monday, September 22, 2025.
Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d'Or after a remarkable season for Paris Saint-Germain, helping the club win four trophies, including the UEFA Champions League.
Source: Getty Images
Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal and PSG midfielder Vitinha made the other two podium places on the night at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
The final rankings in the men's category generated controversy as always, with fans feeling some players should have placed higher than their position.
As noted by The Athletic, Raphinha finished 5th on the final rankings. This displeased the fans, and they believe the Barcelona attacker should have placed higher than Lamine Yamal, who finished second.
ESPN posted Raphinha's stats:
@barca_universal wrote:
“Ousmane Dembélé winning over Lamine Yamal is understandable. Raphinha getting 5th place is absolutely not."
@wax_cav wrote:
“Expectations setting is actually an insane stuff. Barca fans would probably be having the best laugh this evening if Raphinha was pushed for Balon Dor instead of both. Yamal - Kopa, Raphinha - Balon D’or. Now a B2B Kopa trophy for an 18 YO feels like a bad night.”
@_onemufc wrote:
Barca fans should've backed him more, they absolutely left him hanging. People won't agree but their outright favouritism for Yamal hampered Raphinha's PR and we all know Ballon D'or is about best PR."
@FootballEra_ wrote:
“The Ballon D’or rightfully belongs to Dembele, he had the perfect season, a combination of individual performances at the biggest stages, decisive goal contributions and important trophies. I expect Raphinha to finish 2nd. Yamal tried but his story isn’t complete enough—3rd.”
Neymar reacts to Raphinha’s Ballon d'Or position
According to Give Me Sport, Neymar Jr agrees with the fans who slammed Raphinha’s fifth-place finish at the Ballon d'Or, describing it as a joke.
Source: Getty Images
Raphinha finished behind Lamine Yamal, Vitinha, and Mohamed Salah despite scoring 34 goals and providing 25 assists in 57 matches last season.
He was the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 13 goals, shared with Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and also finished with the most assists.
Neymar replied to a post on Instagram, as captured by TouchlineX, describing Raphinha’s fifth-place finish as a joke, despite his brilliant season.
However, despite all that is happening around him, Raphinha remains gracious. He congratulated Dembele and claimed he would have no issue if Yamal had won.
What Raphinha said about his nomination
Legit.ng reported that Raphinha reacted to his Ballon d'Or nomination, describing it as a win even if he doesn't eventually win the award.
The Brazilian broke Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goal contributions in a Champions League season after 13 goals and nine assists as Barca reached the semi-final.
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Source: Legit.ng
