Raphinha gave an exclusive interview and spoke about the Ballon d'Or again, stating that he was disappointed with the selection result and believed he deserved to win the award.
Reporter: “Your performance last season was incredible, and that's almost a consensus among everyone, but it sometimes seems not to be the case, right? Because looking at the Ballon d'Or ranking, you didn't even make the top three. Personally, as a Brazilian, I'm a bit disappointed, and so are many others. How did you feel when you saw you weren't in the top three? I remember you said you only focus on the goals you can control. Alright, but when you actually achieved it, and almost everyone saw it, so did it shock you to some extent?”
Raphinha: “I was disappointed at that time because I had higher expectations. Honestly, I expected to make at least the top three. I knew the chance of winning the Ballon d'Or was extremely slim, because I think the performance in the UEFA Champions League accounts for a large part in the selection of this award. So I was very disappointed with the final ranking. But in the end, I understand that many factors are involved, many things I can't control, and plenty of other elements. In short, it's hard to keep an eye on the specific details and key points all the time. So what I can say is that I'm very satisfied and happy with my performance that season. And obviously, an individual award can't take away what I achieved last season.”
Reporter: “Who would be your top three? If you were the one to choose after the season, who would be in your top three for the Ballon d'Or? You would put yourself in the top three, right?”
Raphinha: “Personally, I would put myself in first place.”
Reporter: “First place?”
Raphinha: “I would put myself in first place! In my opinion, an individual award should not be based solely on a single competition. Based on this, I think I deserve to be first, because of my performance last season, the trophies I won, my statistics, and all my efforts on the pitch. I think I deserved the award. Since this award is actually only based on one competition, then Ousmane Dembélé deserves to win it, especially considering his equally brilliant performance last season. Lamine Yamal also had a fantastic season last year. But in my view, if the selection criterion is the performance of the entire season, I think I deserved the award.”
Reporter: “Okay, that's great. That's Raphinha's Ballon d'Or top three. First is you, who is second?”
Raphinha: “I will support my teammates, I would choose Lamine Yamal and Pedri.”
Reporter: “Okay, third is Pedri, right? Then Dembélé is fourth, isn't he?”
Raphinha: “Yes, fourth.”
Reporter: "Okay, that's very fair."
