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Neymar slammed the Ballon d’Or after Raphinha finished fifth, calling it “a huge joke.”
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Raphinha excelled for Barcelona with 56 goal contributions and two trophies.
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The result led to a discussion about how open voting is.
Neymar slammed the Ballon d’Or organisers after Barcelona winger Raphinha finished fifth in the 2025 rankings, calling the result “a huge joke.”
He posted his reaction on Instagram on Monday night following Ousmane Dembélé’s win, with Lamine Yamal, Vitinha and Mohamed Salah also placed ahead of Raphinha.
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“Raphinha in 5th is too much of a joke,” – Neymar said on Instagram.
Raphinha starred for Barcelona this season, helping the club win LaLiga and the Copa del Rey.
The former Leeds United winger has goal contributions reckoning 56 just from 57 games, a performance fans and pundits see as outstanding enough to put him among the best four.
The reaction rapidly turned into a discussion regarding how the Ballon d’Or votes are counted.
Some people say that voters look at more than just the numbers, such leadership, events, and influence.
Others say that the reward is not very accessible.
Still, Neymar’s public outburst about Raphinha snub added fuel to a wider conversation about how voters measure individual worth in modern football.
For now, Raphinha can point to an outstanding campaign on the pitch.
Meanwhile, supporters and analysts will press organisers for clearer voting criteria in future editions, and the controversy guarantees that award discussions will dominate social feeds in the coming days.
