Ballon d'Or shock! Barcelona star reportedly misses out on the top 30
Raphinha could find himself at the center of one of the biggest surprises of this year's Ballon d'Or nominations.
Details: According to a report from Sam C, the Barcelona winger is set to miss out on a place among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or. The report emerged while the various Ballon d'Or shortlists were being revealed. At the time of publication, the complete men's list was still being announced, meaning Raphinha's reported omission should not yet be treated as an official final confirmation from the award organizers.
If the information is confirmed, it would represent a dramatic change for the Brazilian. Raphinha finished fifth in the official 2025 Ballon d'Or ranking, behind Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, Vitinha and Mohamed Salah, establishing himself among the leading contenders for football's biggest individual prize.
The timing makes the reported decision even more striking. Raphinha has started the new La Liga campaign in spectacular form for Barcelona and remains one of the most productive players in Hansi Flick's squad.
It is worth noting that Raphinha has already scored six goals in Barcelona's opening four La Liga matches of the 2026/27 season. He became only the eighth player in the club's history to reach at least six goals across the first four league games of a campaign, matching a feat Lionel Messi achieved in the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons.
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Steven Perez
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