Barcelona superstar talks about Ballon d’Or – ‘Being nominated is already a victory for me’ | OneFootball

Raphinha will be a dark horse candidate in next month’s Ballon d”or gala in Paris.

Chatter around the 2025 edition of the Ballon d’Or has been dominated by two names: Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele.

This is quite surprising considering the fact that Raphinha was Barcelona’s most productive player last season and up until the end of last year, the Brazilian was the leading candidate to win the trophy.

Raphinha on Ballon d’Or award

In a recent interview with France Football, Raphinha talked about his nomination and what it means to him on a personal level.

Amid talks of Raphinha being a dark horse for the Ballon d’Or, the Brazilian gracefully admitted that the nomination alone is a win for him.

“Being nominated for the Ballon d’Or is already a victory for me,” said the forward, who will continue to play a key role for Barcelona in Hansi Flick’s attacking setup this season.

Raphinha is happy with the Ballon d’Or nomination (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Raphinha added that he wants to constantly improve his game, regardless of whether or not he gets acknowledged for his efforts.

“My goal is to be better than yesterday. To be better than what I was last season. So if I’m at the ceremony, it’s a huge prestige and victory for me,” he said.

Matching last season’s tally will certainly be difficult for Raphinha, though. The Brazilian international, after all, was involved in as many as 59 goals across all competitions.

Raphinha has started the new season on a positive note, though, notably scoring in the opening game against Mallorca, helping Barcelona secure a 3-0 victory.

The former Leeds United starlet will be looking to improve his performance as Barcelona take on Levante in the second match this weekend.