Why Raphinha Is the Ballon D’or Favorite
Barcelona once again disappoints in La Liga, losing to Getafe. For Barcelona, this is their fifth consecutive season losing points away at Getafe, where they struggled to even score. They managed to score with Jules Kounde this time around, but that would be the only goal for Barcelona. Barcelona has had struggles in the league but has shined against the bigger teams in other competitions. Coming off of a 5-2 smashing of Real Madrid to win the Supercopa de España, they won 5-1 at home against Real Betis to make it to the Quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. The credit for Barcelona's success has to be given to the two-star wingers who are leading the club, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. Both are top candidates for the Ballon d'Or, but with all due respect to Yamal, this year's award is for Raphinha.
For starters, Raphinha has changed his own narrative at Barcelona. Being bought for over 58 million euros from Leeds, he was sought out to become that classic Barcelona Brazilian winger with flair. His first season saw a La Liga title, but from a personal performance, it was lackluster. Raphinha only scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists in his debut season for Barcelona. His second season saw disappointment from a team aspect as Barcelona would go trophyless, but Raphinha started to pick up his stride to end the season. It would contain another 10 goals and 13 assists, but towards the end of the season, Raphinha's demeanor changed. A notable Champions League Quarterfinal tie against PSG, where he scored three goals, would be the beginning of Rapinha's star-level performances. Despite a Barcelona loss in the tie to PSG, it would motivate Raphinha to newer heights.
After Xavi Hernandez departed from Barcelona, newly appointed manager Hansi Flick has been able to turn Raphinha into a superstar. On the season, Raphinha has already managed to bag 20 goals and 11 assists across all competitions and currently is fourth in combined goals and assists across Europe’s top five leagues. Raphinha's numbers make the case for being a Ballon d'Or favorite, but his performances in big games are what separate him. His performances include three goals and two assists in the first two games against archrivals. Raphinha has dominated in Champions League matches against German giants, scoring a hat trick against Bayern Munich and another goal against Borussia Dortmund. With these games, Raphinha's big-game player reputation has begun to grow. Barcelona might have slipped down the La Liga standings, but if Raphinha can be a leading protagonist to a Barcelona Champions League trophy, he could be the first Brazilian since Kaká to win the award.
