On September 22, Ousmane Dembélé was crowned Ballon d’Or 2025, rewarding his exceptional season and his consistency at the highest level. Author of an exceptional season with the Parisian collective, the French international became the sixth French player in history to be crowned player of the year, after Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Zinédine Zidane (1998) and Karim Benzema (2022).
Behind the Frenchman, Lamine Yamal took second place, ahead of Vitinha, Mohamed Salah and Raphinha, who finished fifth after a breathtaking 2024-2025 season: 57 matches, 34 goals and 22 assists in all competitions. A performance that the Brazilian considers largely undervalued.
A personal disappointment
“Yes, it was a personal disappointment. When you give so much, work every day and feel like you’ve had an incredible season, you naturally expect to be among the best.”confided Raphinha in an interview for GQ España. “Finishing fifth was of course an honor, but I had higher expectations. At the same time, it taught me humility and allowed me to put things into perspective”added the Brazilian.
The Brazilian striker also recalled that football remains above all a team sport. “The Ballon d’Or is an individual award, but when I look at everything I have achieved with Barcelona and Brazil, I realize how grateful I have to be. This motivates me to continue working hard, improving, and I hope to have another opportunity to fight to reach the top in the future.”he concluded.
