Neymar Mocks Ballon d'Or; Reckons 'Raphinha’s Fifth Place is an Absolute Joke'

Ballon d'Or 2025: It was a night to remember in Paris, all thanks to the Ballon d'Or. While Ousmane Dembele was the biggest winner on the night, there were controversies as well. Brazilian football icon Neymar has gone on to mock the awards, claiming ‘Raphinha’s fifth place is a joke'. Raphinha has had a season to remember and was expected to win the title. Unfortunately, as per votes - he finished fifth - which is a tad-bit disappointing for most of his fans. 

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Neymar Gutted With Ballon d'Or

Raphinha was not even able to make the top-3 as Lamine Yamal finished in second place. Neymar, like many, was upset as he reckoned Raphinha has been massively underrated in the Ballon d’Or rankings, as he made his feelings clear on Instagram.

Neymar while reacting to Raphinha’s position on his IG, the Santos star wrote: “Raphinha in 5th is too much of a joke.”

Ballon d'Or Unfairly Ignore Raphinha? 

Without a doubt, Raphinha was arguably Barcelona’s best player last season. He scored 56 goals in 57 appearances, and that is more than any player in the squad. That is 17 more than Lamine Yamal, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

ALSO READ: WATCH | Bonmati Taking Her Ballon d'Or Through Airport Security is Epic

In fact, Raphinha has got his 2025/26 season off to a blazing start as well. He has already scored three goals, providing two assists in five La Liga appearances, with Barcelona securing four wins and one draw. 

Raphinha, who joined the club in 2022, played his 150th game for Barcelona on Sunday, assisting once in their 3-0 win over Getafe. Raphinha is yet to make a comment on missing out at the Ballon d'Or, it will be interesting to see if he breaks silence. 

Barcelona take on Real Sociedad in their next game on September 28. With four wins in five games, Barcelona are second in the points table currently.