Rafinha has been one of them Barcelona‘s most decisive players of the past year, a form that placed him among the best strikers in the world. That level of performance was not reflected in the FIFA the best ceremony, and Hansi Flick addressed the issue directly.
“I don’t want to rule out who is better, but Raphinha is not in FIFA’s Best XI and that surprises me. I think it’s a joke,” Swipe said during Saturday’s press conference ahead of Barcelona’s The League match against Villarrealaccording to AS Newspaper.
“Raphinha’s influence was incredible. We see his goals, his matches, his assists – it was incredible,said the coach as he assessed the Brazilian winger’s performance Barcelona during his year and a half in charge of the team. “It’s a joke that he’s not in the Best XI. It’s not fair and I have to say it. I can’t believe it.”
The Best Awards took into account the performances from the 2025 calendar year, including the decisive stretch of the 2024-2025 season and the first half of the current campaign. Raphinha played an important role in Barcelona’s titles earlier this year The League, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cupas well as the club’s run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Ousmane Dembele received the FIFA The Best trophy.
Throughout 2025, the Brazilian star scored 23 goals and formed a formidable attacking trio Lamine Yamal And Robert Lewandowski, Helping Barcelona secure three trophies. However, the second half of the year proved more difficult, as a hamstring injury sidelined him for almost half of the games.
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Who was selected for FIFA The Best XI?
Hansi Flick’s criticism of FIFA about the selection of the Best XI of 2025 came despite the inclusion of two of its players. Pedri And Lamine Yamal represented Barcelona in the lineup in the absence of Raphinha.
As expected, the majority of the selected players came from Paris Saint Germain, winners of the UEFA Champions League and the dominant force in French football. Six players from Luis Enrique‘s team was called: Gianluigi Donnarumma (now at Manchester City), Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, And Ousmane Dembele.
The other standouts recognized by FIFA for their performances this year were Liverpool’s defenders Virgil van DijkChelsea star Cole Palmerand Real Madrid midfielder Judas Bellingham.
Raphinha had already been rejected during the Ballon d’Or
The Raphinha controversy did not start with FIFA The Best Awards. A similar situation occurred a few months earlier at the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Ousmane Dembele was named the best player in the world, while Lamine Yamal finished second.
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Raphinha finished fifth, behind Vitinha and Mohammed Salah. That outcome led to several stars, including Neymarcriticize France footballAnd Raphinha herself discussed the issuemaking it clear that he expected a better result. ‘I deserved much more’ he said.
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