The surprise of the ranking has a name: Pedri. Announced in the top 5 by almost all observers, the Barcelona community finds itself relegated to 11th place in the Golden Ball 2025. A position that questions the mysteries of the vote and perhaps reveals a glaring injustice towards one of the most precious footballers of its generation.
Pedri snubbed in the golden ball: a classification that is controversial
Pedri's figures speak for themselves. With 4,643 minutes played in all competitions, he is among the most used players in Barça. Its technical precision confines to perfection: out of 4090 passes attempted in 2024-25, 3647 found their target, a success rate never less than 88.4% in any competition. Metronome statistics that recall the greatest hours of Xavi and Iniesta.
Its impact exceeds the simple pass statistics. Pedri recovered 389 balloons, scored 6 goals and delivered 8 assists in a season when Barcelona made the domestic hatch. His contribution to the Champions League semi-final against Inter, where Barça was on the way to going, testifies to its importance in major meetings.
Pedri relegated to 11th place in the Ballon d'Or despite his XXL season
Disadvantaged medium syndrome
This 11th place reveals a recurring evil of the Ballon d'Or: the undervaluation of creative fields. Like his illustrious predecessors Xavi and Iniesta, Pedri seems condemned to see others collect the laurels of his shadow work. Jurors still too often favor offensive statistics with less spectacular but just as decisive contributions.
The comparison with his teammate Raphinha (5th) illustrates this paradox. If the Brazilian deserves his place with his 34 goals and 22 assists, Pedri orchestrates the Barcelona game with a mastery that the raw figures do not completely reflect. This difference in treatment questions the evolution of the evaluation criteria for modern football.
At 22, Pedri has time to correct this injustice. As Lamine Yamal (2nd) proved this year, talent always ends up being recognized. In the Catalan middle to persevere in excellence to one day win the reward that his sublime football deserves amply.
